The Song of Eternity
by Bouncing Soul
Summary: COMPLETED! Dear god, it is done. My three year story that refused to die is done. This is a massive x-over, so be prepared. I have some guides uploaded in there somewhere for new readers.
1. Canto 1 : Verse 1 : Eiko

**_The Song of Eternity_**

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**_Canto 1_**

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**_Parm_****_:  The Forsaken Realm_**

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**_Verse 1_**

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**_Eiko_**

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**_Upon the fall of the enemy,_**

**_The hopes of worlds will be needed elsewhere._**

**_Others will come to fill the void,_**

**_To leave their own,_**

**_To save the weak,_**

**_Their destiny will unfold before them._**

            In the bar a waitress rushed from table to table, serving food, refilling drinks, and cleaning up after the patrons.  She was a strange one, if any could be considered strange where she was now.  Parm, as the natives called it was a unique world.  It was, simply put, a dumping ground for displaced travelers of the inter-dimensional persuasion.  She looked to be in her late teens.  She had shoulder length purple hair, and a single cone shaped earring in her left ear.  She looked angrily at a customer as he dropped some food on the floor, knowing she'd have to clean it up later.  She hated the work, but there was very little work anywhere, so she had to make do.  She wanted desperately to leave the town, but knew there was no place else to go.  She sighed and went back to her work.  A couple hours later the place had cleared out and she had finished with her cleaning duties.  She walked back to the kitchen and took off her apron.  "Duncan, I'm gonna go get some sleep, I'll see you tomorrow," she waved to the cook as she left before he could think of anything else for her to do.

            She walked to her apartment through the dark dingy streets of Haven.  This was the town she had arrived near six years ago and made her home, yet it still felt alien and strange to her.  She looked at the buildings she passed, noticing their run down appearance and the apparent masses of bodies within.  They were horribly overcrowded, but there was no way around it.  When people left their world, either accidentally or on purpose, and arrived here, there were too many.  From what she had heard, about fifteen years ago people from other worlds started to show up in massive quantities.  She wiped away a tear as she came to a mansion like building and unlocked the door and let herself in.  Her place was up in the attic.  The mansion had been converted to a massive apartment building about the same time she arrived.  She walked up to here room and locked the door behind her.  The place was small, just a bed and a dresser really.  The only redeeming feature was the balcony that overlooked the city.

            "Happy six year anniversary Eiko," she said to herself as she stretched out on her bed, looking out window.  "I wish I was back home," she whispered as she got up, walked out onto the balcony and looked up into the stars.  She considered herself lucky anyway.  She had a job, food, and a place to live, it was a lot more than others had.  After they had defeated Kuja and Necron, and Zidane returned things were not as smooth as expected.  Monsters had begun to appear in greater and greater numbers, attacking cities and travelers.  They seemed intelligent at times, attack trade caravans and weak points in the cities.  She and the others had split up to help defend the cities and to look for a cause for the attacks.  She and Amarant were at Lindbulm when she went off on her own.  Some of the treasure hunters had reported strange things in Fossil Roo.  Amarant wanted to wait for Zidane and the others, but Eiko wanted to go on her own, so she snuck off and left Amarant a note.

            She didn't have many problems once inside the caverns.  There were unusually high amounts of monsters outside, but Madeen took care of them.  She walked around in the cave for a couple hours until she came to a crack in a wall.  Through the crack she could see a strange looking crystal emanating a red glow.  She was curious about it, so she blasted the wall open and went in the room to check it out.  She went up to the crystal and looked it over, but didn't touch it.  It looked like a normal ruby, except that it was two feet across and glowed.  She reached out and put her hand on it, surprised that it was warm.  She tried to take her hand back, but found she could not move.  She started to panic when she saw the red glow from the ruby cover her entire body.  Suddenly everything around her went black and she was in a strange place.  She thought it looked like she was in space, but she could breath and she heard some strange noise.  It was eerie sounding, like a song that you can't remember all the words too.  Then as suddenly as it came, it left and she fell a couple feet to the ground outside a city she had never seen before.

            She looked around, trying to recognize things but to no avail.  She panicked and tried to call Madeen, but found she could no longer summon her Eidelons.  She tried again, but ended with the same result.  She moved her hand to her forehead in disbelief to find that her horn was gone.  At the same time she noticed the earring and fainted.  She wandered into city when she woke up, trying to think of what to do.  She decided that her first priority should be to take care of herself.  She got lucky and made friends with the owner of the pub she now worked out and got a job cleaning there until she was older and could waitress.  While there most of her questions about what happened were answered.

            The land she was in was called Parm by it's natives, and the Forsaken Realm by all those trapped there.  The flow of people had been increasing steadily since it began fifteen years ago.  The story of how people got here was usually the same.  They all had found a large gemstone, touched it, and been transported to Parm through the same strange dark place.  Strangely enough, they all heard the music too, but none of them could remember what it sounded like or what it said, they dubbed it the Song of Eternity.  Parm was made up of a dozen kingdoms, some native and some gatherings for people or races from other worlds.  People had been trying to find a way back home since before she arrived, but there never was any good news.  Some people reported minor physical changes like Eiko did as well.

            The bed creaked as she got up and went out onto the balcony to look at the stars.  As she stared up at the constellations her mind drifted back to those she left behind on Gaia.  Zidane and Garnet had married about a year after his return, a year before she left.  He never really adjusted to being king, with the monsters roaming he spent a lot of time in the fields surrounding the town stopping potential threats.  He had probably looked everywhere for her after she disappeared.  "Everywhere but in another dimension…"  Eiko sighed as she cursed her own bad luck.

            Steiner and Beatrix had married as well, a month before Zidane's return.  They had been spending most of their time training soldiers and knights to fight the monsters.  Before she had left she noticed Steiner growing more and more distant from Beatrix and the others.  He had lost several of his original knights of Pluto to some of the initial attacks by the monsters.  It was like something in him snapped.

            Quina had gone back to the swamps to get the rest of the Qu to help stop/eat the monsters.  He/she was probably best off, he/she had lived through so many things already there was no way he/she would fall to monsters.

            Freya and Fratley had gone back to Burmecia with the rest of the survivors of the attacks on their people.  They had rebounded very well after being nearly wiped out by Brahne and Kuja.  Eiko figured they should have recovered from the whoel Kuja fiasco by now.  Puck was finally accepting the rule of Burmecia after Fratley and Freya 'persuaded' him.  Freya and Fratly were taking turns defending the city and looking for a cause for the monsters' aggressiveness.  

            She was mostly surprised by Amarant's reaction to the attacks on innocents by the monsters.  She always had him pegged as being selfish and weak, from all the experiences they shared with Zidane and the others.  He had disappeared after they defeated Kuja, only to reappear a little after Zidane did to help with the monster attacks.  During the time he was away they had heard rumors that he had been living in Danguerro and wandering the countryside, trying to get stronger.  He had been assigned to Lindbulm with her by Zidane several months before her disappearance.  He didn't talk much, but that was expected.  He did look out for her though, saving her from some tough situations with monsters.  She had wondered if he really had become stronger the Zidane before she disappeared.

            Her gaze shifted to the darkness between the stars as she thought of the one who was dead by now.  Vivi was getting close to shutting down when she left, he was definitely dead by now.  He had moved to the black mage village where they learned how to make more of their race.  When the monsters appeared, so did the mages and genomes.  All over the globe mages and genomes started to pop up to help defend the cities.  They had been researching magic since the fall of Kuja and were hoping to atone for their pasts by helping save the present.

            She shifted her gaze to the skyline of Haven, looking over the outline of the castle.  She sniffed and wiped away a tear, returning to her room.  Tomorrow was a big day.


	2. Canto 1 : Verse 2 : The Meeting

**_The Song of Eternity_**

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**_Canto 1_**

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**_Parm: The Forsaken Realm_**

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**_Verse 2_**

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**_The Meeting_**

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**_The princess stands face to face with the usurper,_**

**_All is calm until he tries to gain the power._**

**_The protector comes and secures survival for a little longer,_**

**_Only to be in danger again,_**

**_When the thieves are called._**

****

            Pearl, the Princess of Haven and Cid, the Lord Protector of Avalon looked at the map in front of them in the Haven throne room.  Pearl had taken over the rule of haven a month ago, following the death of her father, the king.  Haven was one of the few native kingdoms of Parm, situated on the edge of the great plains and with easy coastal access, it was one of the major powers.  Cid was a knight through and through.  He had been dragged through to Parm over a decade ago with a hundred other knights.  Since then, they established a fort city in the frozen north or Haven and developed close relations with Pearl's father.  They lived to protect the innocent across the land.

            "The ogres have finally stopped fighting Rhu's people thankfully.  I still am uneasy though, they are likely to go off again with the slightest enticement," Cid sighed as he gestured at the mountains to the west.  The ogres were led by their chieftain, Daggoth.  He was a huge ogre, over eight feet tall, able to rip knights, trees, anything he wanted apart.  His father had led the medium sized tribe of ogres that originally lived in the mountains, but once ogres had begun to arrive from other worlds, the tribe had tripled in size and had to expand, taking more land.  The humans they were fighting were Jo' Rhu and the kingdom of New Eden.  Their entire city had been transported to Parm, and they were too stubborn to make peace with the ogres.  It was situated at the edge of the mountains, by the plains that the ogres controlled.

            "At least the dwarves are doing well," Pearl pointed out as she looked at the other end of the mountain range.  The dwarves she spoke of were the two, soon to be one, kingdoms of Dugan Blackrock and Jewel Bloodstone.  They were at war with each other and themselves up until a few weeks ago.  Pearl's father had gone into the mountains with some of Cid's knights and aided them in ending the battle, but at the cost of most of their lives.  One of the kingdoms was native to Parm and the other was created for refugees, but only the dwarves knew which one was which.

            "What about Firewall?  What did he find in the crater?"  Pearl asked Cid who grabbed a sheet of paper and looked over it.  John Firewall was the leader of the UIG, United Inventors Guild.  Intellectuals from all over lived there all or part of the time.  They created huge mechanized warriors and other wonders, which they sold to the other kingdoms up until several months ago.  They were on good terms with everyone, since no one dared attack them and their unknown amount of mechanized soldiers.

            The crater they were talking about had appeared about six months ago, between the UIG and Avalon.  During the night, something impacted the ground, creating a fifty foot diameter crater, melting all the snow within a mile, and turning a five foot circle of ground to glass.  No one had any idea what it was, so Pearl and Cid hoped Firewall had sent them some good information.  "No signs of life anywhere," Cid read as he scanned down the paper.  "Nothing that gives any idea of what it was…inconclusive…no conclusion can be made…  Looks like a whole lot of nothing," Cid said angrily as he turned the paper over and stopped.  "Firewall and his scientists couldn't find anything, but some of their guides, hunter-trackers did.  They found some small grooves in the ground and tracks leading away from the crater towards here.  Whatever it was has probably been in the city for half a year now."

            "Great, how was father dealing with it before he died?"  Pearl asked as she looked back at the map.

            "As long as whatever it is doesn't do anything wrong he didn't care."

            "As shall I.  The forests, seas, and mountains?"  Pearl asked Cid, referring to the cat-people, the harpies, and the merfolk, all alien to Parm.

            "Keeping to themselves thankfully, I wish the same could be said for Lim-Dul…" Cid added gravely as he stared at the dark area far to the south, representing the swamp.  "Bodies keep disappearing daily as the swamp expands.  There's no way to tell what he's planning."

            "That's easy, the death of the living…"  Pearl concluded as she looked down at the dark area of the swamp.  Lim-Dul was a foreigner to Parm.  He was also a necromancer and had been expanding his army and swamp ever since his arrival a decade ago.  They stopped talking as the door opened and another of the 'leaders' of Parm entered.

            When most people came through from other worlds they were no worse for wear, but some weren't so lucky.  Some were changed into strange human/animal/monster creatures.  He was one of the unlucky ones, the wereman.  He was about half wolf/half man.  He looked like something out of a nightmare, but was really a good man.  He led the rest of his kind in their quest for a way to undo what was done to them.  "Cid, Pearl," he greeted them as he approached them and the map.

            "Yes," Pearl replied politely.

            "I need to talk to you two…." he was cut off as the door crashed open and the leader of the vast southeastern desert entered the room.

            He was a huge brown skinned creature, ten feet tell, four arms, huge muscles, and a bad attitude.  He was Ashura, he had emerged as the leader of the desert nomads fifteen years ago and now commanded a huge army of soldiers and mercenaries in the desert, waiting to strike.  "I am departing for my land tonight princess, I have one last request to make before I go.  I would like to purchase that pendant of yours, it appeals to my eye like not many things can," Ashura demanded in front of Pearl.

            "My father gave it to me Ashura, I am sorry, I cannot," Pearl said as she grasped the crystal pendant around her neck.

            "There is no way I can persuade you?" Ashura asked menacingly.

            "She said no," the wereman stated calmly as he stepped between the two rulers.

            "As you wish," Ashura replied angrily as he turned and left the room.

            After Ashura left Cid spoke to the wereman.  "What was that all about?"

            "Nothing… now that he is gone," the wereman countered as he left the room as well.

            "Calm down Cid, I'm sure everything will work out, we need to leave now, they need to prepare the throne room for the ball tomorrow," Pearl said quietly as she and the knight left the room and the servants came in to prepare the room.

            Ashura stood at his airship and waited.  "Where are you?"  He shouted angrily to no one.

            "Right here," came the unexpected reply from behind him.  He whirled around to see a figure covered in a dark cloak emerge from the shadows.  "What is your bidding master?"

            "She has refused to part with the pendant, you are to contact your help, then kill her and take the pendant and return it to me as quickly as possible.  Make it a public death, but that pendant is the first priority, it must be brought to me in the desert," Ashura ordered before leaving the figure alone in the dark.


	3. Canto 1 : Verse 3 : Assassins

**_The Song of Eternity_**

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**_Canto 1_**

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**_Parm: The Forsaken Realm_**

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**_Verse 3_**

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**_Assassins_**

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**_The ones shrouded in darkness,_**

**_Given their mission,_**

**_Meet with one of their own,_**

**_And are given the means to finish their mission._**

**_They both hold secrets,_**

**_But only one knows his._**

****

            The cloaked figure walked away from Ashura's departing airship and headed back into the populated part of the city.  He kept his cloak pulled tight out of habit.  No one knew who he was, but it was how he was trained to be.  He made his way to the closest inn, paid the innkeeper, and headed to his room to sleep.

            He awoke the next morning and headed to the pub for lunch and to meet with his partner.  He had never met his partner before, so he took a table in the corner and waved the waitress over.  He studied the waitress as she neared, thinking he had seen her somewhere before.  She was about five and a half feet tall with purple hair and appeared to be about his age.

            "I'm Eiko, I'll be your waitress, what can I get you?"  She asked as she blinked the last of the sleep out of her eyes and looked over her customer.  He had taken off a dark cloak and laid it across the back of his chair, revealing the clothes of a desert nomad underneath.  She studied his face while she read off today's menu from memory.  He had jet black hair and skin that couldn't be called white.  It was normal most of the time, but every now and then a shadow crossed his face, causing the area it hit to become black as night.

            "I'll have two steaks and a two waters, I'm expecting someone.  Pardon me for asking, but have we met?"  He asked Eiko as his vision blurred a little.

            "Not that I know of, what's your name?"  Eiko replied politely and she kept the order in mind.

            "Deklin.  I just have a feeling I've met you before…" he countered, as he massaged the bridge of his nose.

            "Sorry Deklin, can't say we have.  I'll go take care of your order now," she smiled politely as she turned around and went back to work.

            Deklin sat at the table in silence, massaging his skull, trying to get rid of a dull headache.  He felt the table move a little and looked up to see a stranger sitting across from him.  Upon closer inspection he saw the similar style of clothes and realized it was his contact.  "Jack Raccoumb I presume?" he questioned the red-haired stranger.  

            "Keep it down, I'm a wanted man in most places," Jack replied as he settled down into his seat.  They both looked each other over, noting the similar clothes.  They were both dressed in dusty brown pants and shirts, made especially for hiding in the desert.  "So you're one of his elites?" Jack asked.

            "Yes, and you are one of his mercenaries?"

            "I prefer to call myself a thief, it sounds better, at least I think," he laughed as Eiko arrived with their food.  They were both silent until Eiko went away, then started to eat their food.  Jack studied his partner while they were eating, noticing the same peculiarity Eiko had.  "What's the deal with your face, the whole light and darkness thing?" Jack questioned between bites.

            Deklin swallowed and looked up at his partner.  "I've been like this for as long as I can remember, I can't explain it," Deklin said quietly before sipping some water.  "I can't even remember most of my life.  I woke up in a training camp, apparently I hit my head a couple weeks earlier and almost died.  That's my first memory.  I believe I know all about you though."

            "That kinda goes with being the most well known thief on this planet.  Yeah, raised in the desert, trained for Ashura, bailed from that, and I'm wanted by damn near every kingdom out there.  Only good thing is almost no one knows what I look like," he smiled.  "So you got a plan?"

            "He wants it done publicly, that's my job.  The best shot we have is at the ball tonight, only problem is it's sold out, we can't get in without a ticket.  So we are probably going to have to break in to the ball," Deklin stopped as Eiko came over with the bill.  

            "Thirty gil, and you really shouldn't try to break into the ball, security is way too tight," she pointed out as she leaned against the wall.

            "You heard us?"  Deklin asked worriedly, calculating how to get to his knife quickly.      

            "Yeah, you two want to get in the ball, but don't have tickets," Eiko replied as Deklin breathed a sigh of relief.  "No way you can get in, only 1 entrance, and that's gonna be heavily guarded.  Give me five thousand gil and I'll introduce you to someone that might be able to get you in," Eiko smirked as she stuck out her hand.

            "Five thousand…."  Jack muttered under his breath.

            "Here," Deklin counted it out as he put it in her hand.  "This better be worth it Eiko," he said annoyed.  

            Eiko whistled and waved at a guy at the end of the bar to come over.  "I'm only doing this cause I like you two," Eiko explained.  The man stumbled over and took the chair Eiko held out for him and sat down.  "Starting a little early today Deke?"  She laughed at him in his drunken mid-morning stupor.  

            "Cram it Eiko.  What's up?"

            "Deke, meet Jack and Deklin.  Jack and Deklin, meet Deke."  They all shook hands and Deklin got a chance to look Deke over.  He looked to be in his mid-twenties, dark red hair, about six feet tall, dressed in a black trench coat, black gloves and all.  "Deke, these two guys want to get into the ball tonight," Eiko explained.

            "Damnit girl, I can't be getting too many people in or I won't get hired again.  This is the last time!"  He slurred at the chuckling Eiko.  "Thousand gil apiece, and you gotta carry my stuff," Deke said putting his hand out.

            "Here," Deklin paid him the last of his money.  "What stuff do we have to carry?"

            "The instruments for the band.  Be back here at 5, if you wanna wear something nice to the ball bring that too," Deke explained as he stumbled away.

            "Who the hell was that?"  Jack laughed as Deke fell down splintering a chair.

            "Deke, he and his band are playing the ball tonight.  He goes a little bit overboard before the shows, but always comes through.  I'll see you at the ball then," Eiko smiled as she walked away.

            "Let's go grab some suits Deklin, we need to hurry," Jack said as he stretched, grabbing his cloak.

            "Agreed…." Deklin nodded.  "Eiko…." he whispered as he left the bar with a headache.


	4. Canto 1 : Verse 4 : The Ball

**_The Song of Eternity_**

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**_Canto 1_**

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**_Parm: The Forsaken Realm_**

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**_Verse 4_**

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**_The Ball_**

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**_The players gather,_**

**_With the world on the line._**

**_One almost remembers the truth,_**

**_Another already knows it,_**

**_One suspects it,_**

**_While the one is drawn into battle._**

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            In the converted throne room of Haven's castle, the throng of partygoers quieted as Pearl raised her hand.  "It is my pleasure to welcome you citizens of Haven, and esteemed guests to this ball in recognition of my ascension to the throne," Pearl shouted over the murmur.  "I am not one for speeches, so let's get this party started," she finished among the cheers of the gathered citizens.  On cue, the band started up playing a slow song.  Pearl walked over to where Cid and the wereman were waiting.  They were both dressed in suits, Cid looking uncomfortable, probably wishing he was in his armor, and the wereman looking strangely at ease.  

            "Nice speech princess," Cid commented as she blushed at him.

            "It was nothing," Pearl responded modestly.

            The wereman stayed silent as he looked over the crowd and the band, his eyes betraying a hint of uncertainty.  "It was good.  If you will excuse me, I have some business to attend to," the wereman bowed before he left, heading around the edge of the room.

            "What's with him?"  Cid asked the princess, who just shrugged in response.

            "I still think it would have been easier to break in," Jack sighed as he wiped the sweat from his brow.  They were standing at the edge of the band's area, waiting for the okay from Deke that their job was done.  About midway through the first song Deke nodded at them, signaling they were done.  Deklin and Jack sighed, glad their job of carrying all the instruments was over.

            "We can get to work now," Deklin took charge.  "Go secure an exit, I'll go spot the princess."

            "Take it easy boss, let's enjoy this for a while.  She isn't going anywhere, we might as well have some fun," Jack laughed.

            "Fine, one hour, be ready," Deklin gave in as Jack cheered and ran off into the crowd.  Deklin looked down at his black suit, wishing he was back in his normal clothes.  He leaned against the closest wall, staying in the shadows, watching the crowd.  Suddenly he felt someone tapping his shoulder and spun around, taking his hand away from where his dagger was hidden when he saw it was Eiko.  "You startled me."

            "What?  You came here just to watch people?  Come on, dance with me," Eiko insisted as she pulled Deklin out on the dance floor.  She was wearing a purple and yellow dress, vaguely reminiscent of her old gear from Gaia.  "Hope you didn't get too tired helping Deke," she smiled as she looked over at the band.

            "It wasn't too bad.  What's the deal with him anyway?"  Deklin asked as he looked over to the band area.  Deke was there with the rest of his band, drums, trumpets, a bass, and Deke on guitar.  "He's drunk right now and he isn't having a problem."

            "Deke plays drunk most of the time, he's gotten used to it.  He showed up about five months ago without any idea of who he was.  The rest of the band was out in the town square, waiting for the old guitarist.  He just came, picked up the guitar, and the rest is history.  They're also the only band in the city, so it wasn't hard for them to get the job," Eiko laughed as she looked over at Deke, jamming with his coat on still.  "So where are you from anyway Deklin?"

            "The desert," Deklin responded as he looked down into Eiko's eyes.  Suddenly his mind was filled with images of horrible monsters, flames, and destruction.  He stumbled, closed his eyes and almost fell down.

            "Are you okay?"  Eiko asked as she took a step back.

            "I am fine," Deklin responded, shaking his head.  "Just got a little dizzy," he lied, resuming the dance.  After another couple minutes he spoke up again.  "I still can't shake the feeling I know you from someplace."

            "Not likely.  You're a native right?  I'm not, I just got here about six years ago."

            "I just can't shake that feeling…" Deklin continued as they danced away to the center of the room, closer to the princess.

            "Is it a go?"

            "Yes, this is the only chance we may get, everything will proceed as planned.  What does he call himself?

            "Deklin, I better get going before he spots me."

            "Agreed, keep a watch on that band leader as well, I want him alive."

            "Any chance of him interfering?"

            "No, he must have lost his memory, otherwise he would have done something already."

            An hour later Pearl was talking to Cid on the edge of the dance floor.  Jack and a random girl he grabbed were waltzing there way over from one side, as with Deklin and Eiko.  Finally Deklin was within arm's reach of Pearl.  "I am sorry Eiko," he spoke before he pushed her away and moved up behind Pearl.  He pulled his dagger out and held it to her throat in a split-second, before the knight could react.  "Do not move princess, that goes for you as well Cid of Avalon!"  He shouted as the crowd reacted in disbelief.  Jack slid up beside Deklin as the entire crowd but Cid backed away from the hostage.

            "Look what we have here, a hostage situation," Jack laughed as he smirked at Cid.

            "Raccoumb, you knave!  What is the meaning of this?!"  Cid shouted in anger.

            "Simple, first of all, drop your weapon Cid, I know you have one somewhere.  Secondly, everyone back away from the door and no one will get hurt."  Jack ordered as Cid pulled a knife out from his coat and dropped it on the floor.  Jack, Deklin, and their hostage began to back towards the door, keeping an eye on the crowd.  

            When they finally reached the door Deklin spoke.  "I'll take this," he muttered as he cut the pendant from Pearl's neck, pocketing his prize.  "Time to say good-night princess," he whispered, loud enough that the few people close enough could hear it.  Specifically, loud enough that Cid, Eiko, the wereman with his keen hearing, and the band heard it.  

            Cid was about to make a jump at them to try to stop the assassin, but felt his ring grow warm on his hand.  He looked down to see it shining light on the girl in the purple and yellow dress next to him.  He slid it off and passed it over to the girl.  "I've learned that whenever a ring shines light in on someone for any reason, it's a good idea to let them have it," he whispered under his breath so she could hear it.

            Eiko nodded slightly and closed her eyes when she slid the ring on her finger.  She felt the difference immediately, she had her magic and summons back.  She opened her eyes again to see Deklin about to run the blade across Pearl's neck.  "No!  Holy!"  She shouted as she conjured up a blast of holy magic, blasting Deklin and Jack through the wooden door, splintering it.

            "Princess, come here!" Cid shouted as Pearl dashed over towards him and Eiko.  He looked through the hole in the door, seeing that Jack and Deklin were already up, looking dazed, but quickly stumbling away.  "They are escaping!"  He shouted as he rushed to the door.

            "Take it easy, you can't fight them weaponless," the wereman stated calmly as he grabbed Cid from behind.  "Call out the guards, that should slow them down.  They only have one way out of here, the airships.  The guards will delay them enough for you to grab your gear and for us to meet them at the docks.  We cannot let them escape with that pendant."

            "Let's go then!"  Eiko shouted cheerfully, finally feeling like her old self.

            "I will go as well," Pearl added in.

            "Good, let's get moving," Cid ordered as a guard ran off to sound the alarm.

            "One more thing," the wereman added, reaching into the crowd and grabbing Deke out of it.  "You are coming too.  You better get your memory back soon son, otherwise we might have our hands full."

            "You know me?"  Deke said doubtfully.

            "Yes, now we need to get you a sword and get moving, there is no time.  If they make it to Ashura, all is lost," the wereman shouted as he stalked out of the room.


	5. Canto 1 : Verse 5 : The Chase

**_The Song of Eternity_**

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**_Canto 1_**

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**_Parm: The Forsaken Realm_**

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**_Verse 5_**

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**_The Chase_**

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**_The prize streaks away from safety,_**

**_Everything swings close to Armageddon._**

**_The plan is scrapped,_**

**_As one regains what was once lost,_**

**_Not knowing what he is doing._**

****

            "This is not good!"  Jack shouted as he and Deklin ran through the streets of Haven avoiding the guards as best they could.  A minute after they left the castle hundreds of guards swarmed out, calling to the rest of the guards in the city, all of them looking for Deklin and Jack.  "Pearl is still alive, which means Ashura is going to punish us," Jack said angrily as he and Deklin ducked into an alley.  "What was the deal with your girlfriend anyway?  She nearly killed us!"

            "Shut up, we need to keep moving.  Hide!"  Deklin whispered loudly as he pushed Jack into a pile of trash, diving into a nearby pile himself.  They both stayed silent for a minute as a dozen guards passed by, looking down the dark alley and not seeing them.  After they passed by Deklin got up and brushed from his hair, they shed the tuxedo, revealing his desert gear.  "I'll handle Ashura, it was my fault.  I've never seen anyone with such power before, we should report her to Ashura as well."

            Jack turned away from the entrance to the alley to look at Deklin.  "Fine…  Your eyes are glowing, what gives?"  He asked as he pushed past Deklin to their planned escape route.

            "It's the dark, they do that in the dark," Deklin explained as he followed Jack to the ladder.  He felt around for the pendant in his pocket, making sure it was still there.

            "Strange, how'd Ashura do that to ya?"  Jack asked as he headed up the ladder.

            "He didn't."

            Cid and Pearl talked to a pair of guards while the wereman grabbed a sword from another guard who wasn't using it.  "Here, take it," he said as he tossed it to Deke.  The musician caught it by the handle, looking unfamiliar with the weapon.

            "What the hell am I supposed to do with this?  I don't know how to fight!"  Deke shouted at the wereman and threw the sword to the ground.  "Eiko, tell him!  You know me, I can't fight!"  He pleaded to Eiko who was looking confusedly at them.  

            Eiko rubbed the ring she received from Cid and spoke to the wereman.  "He's never fought before, he doesn't even know who he is, he got here about half a year ago.  He cannot fi…."  She was cut off by the wereman's sudden movement.  

            The wereman had picked up another sword and hurled it at Deke.  Eiko saw his eyes go wide in surprise.  The sword was about to impale his skull when Eiko saw the blur of his right hand move and 'catch' the sword by the pointed end.  She heard a metallic clang as the blade connected with Deke's hand.  Deke frowned as he flipped the sword and grabbed it by the hilt.  "I told you, I cannot fight!"  

            The wereman walked over to him and took the sword from him, examining his hand.  Deke pulled his hand away and took his glove partway off, revealing metal.  He then slid it back, making himself look normal.  "That was unexpected, but I am still sure you are him," the wereman apologized.  "You may not remember it, but one who was as good with a sword as you cannot forget their skill for long.  We need you right now, hopefully you can get back to what you were six years ago."

            "I don't even remember six months ago!  What are you talking about?"  Deke shouted at the wereman.

            "You were a great swordsman, you are a great swordsman.  We need your help now, or innocents are going to die.  Understand?"  

            Deke's face twisted in pain and he frowned.  He shook his head then held out his hand.  "Give me the damn sword, but I still don't remember," he finished as the wereman handed him the sword.

            Just then Pearl and Cid finished talking to the guards and came over.  "The chocobos are ready, we should reach the airships at the same time they do, but we need to get moving," Cid explained as several guards came over and surrendered their mounts to the five heroes.  "We must hurry."

            "It isn't working!"  Jack shouted as he tried to start up the airship he and Deklin had broken into.  "No good, we need to try another one!"  Jack shouted as he could not get the engine to ignite.

            "Hurry, they'll be here soon," Deklin ordered as he bolted from the cabin, heading to they next closest airship.  He and Jack were about to board it when five chocobos came out on the street in front of them and the riders dismounted.  "Damn, go get it started, I'll try to stall them."  He walked between the ship and Eiko's party as Jack rushed onboard to get their escape ready.

            "Return the pendant, boy," Cid ordered as he pulled out his sword.

            "Nothing doing, I need it or my boss will have my head.  Guess I'll have to fight you guys for it," Deklin smiled as he pulled out a pair of daggers.

            "Unfair odds, but I doubt he is a normal fighter, be careful everyone!"  The wereman warned the others as they moved closer to fight.

            Deke, Cid, and the wereman stood between Deklin and Eiko and Pearl.  Deklin smiled as he taunted them some more.  "He's right you know, I play way too dirty," he laughed as ignited a small amount of flash powder, blinding the three men.  "Sucks to be you guys," he joked as threw several bolos at them, tying up their feet and knocking them to the ground.

            "Cid!"  Pearl shouted as she rushed to the knight.  

            "Deke!"  Eiko shouted as she did the same.  

            They both stumbled backwards before they could help free their companions.  Deklin stepped over the blinded men and advanced on the girls.  "Too bad princess, you might have lived if you hadn't chased me.  Nothing personal."  He laughed as he flipped a dagger, grabbing it by the blade and prepared to throw it.

            "Holy!"  Eiko shouted as she made the magic appear and impact their assailant.  It impacted Deklin and threw him back into crate.  He stumbled back up after the blast, cursing himself.

            "I thought I'd get lucky, maybe that was a one time thing," he laughed as he shook his head.

            "No such luck," Eiko countered as she untied Deke.

            "No other choice for me then, I have to play really dirty," he gloated as he tossed a knockout gas grenade at them.  He watched as the gas covered the five bodies, then dissipated, leaving the bodies lying neatly where the fell.  All except for one.  "That's a new one on me," Deklin laughed as he watched one of them stumble up.

            "Me too," Deke said angrily as he spat to get the taste of smoke out of mouth.  "Guess it's up to me."

            "Guess so," Deklin laughed as he lunged at the musician.  He went right for the throat, but had his strike blocked by the sword that hung by Deke's side a moment ago.  He kept striking at vital organs with both of his daggers, but Deke kept dodging and blocking them with apparent ease.  "Who are you?"  Deklin asked in amazement as he stood back to catch his breath.

            "I wish I knew, they say I was a fighter.  Looks like they were right," he said calmly as he began his offensive strike on Deklin.  Deklin had to use both of his daggers to block or divert the sword as it continued to come streaking at him for the next minute, never growing slower, always a killing blow.  He couldn't get out of the way of the last strike and had to make an X with his daggers and catch it in front of his face.

            "I will not lose!"  Deklin shouted as he pushed back against the sword.

            "We'll see," Deke commented as he tried to drive the blade into Deklin's face.  Their blades began to glow and give of sparks and bursts of energy as they both continued to grunt and sweat, locked in combat.  

            Eiko blinked her eyes open at the scene, recovering from the gas.  She quickly untied the others and tried to revive them quickly.  There was a small explosion and Deke and Deklin were thrown apart, their weapons shattered.  Deklin got back up, eyes glowing brighter than they had in the alley.  Deke stared back at him, recognizing something, but not knowing what it was.  Suddenly he saw Deklin remove the pendant from his pocket and grasp it in his hand.  "Ultima!"  Deke heard Deklin shout before he was thrown backwards in pain to the pile of other forms.  He and Eiko saw Deklin stuff the pendant back in his pocket and dash onto the airship as it lifted off, wondering what had happened.


	6. Canto 1 : Verse 6 : The Desert Tower

**_The Song of Eternity_**

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**_Canto 1_**

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**_Parm_****_: The Forsaken Realm_**

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**_Verse 6_**

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**_The _****_Desert_********_Tower_****__**

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**_They fled from town,_**

**_Heading to their dark master,_**

**_The truth, so close,_**

**_But still out of reach._**

****

            "Get to that other airship, we need to stop them!"  The wereman shouted as he pulled Deke to his feet and strode over to the closest airship.  "We have to catch them before they get to Ashura, hurry up!" he screamed over his shoulder at Cid, Eiko, and Pearl.  He set Deke down on the deck and slapped his face lightly.  "You okay?"

            Deke's eyes flutterd open and he groaned.  "Peachy, I feel like I got hit by a boulder," he joked as he staggered to his feet and leaned on the rail of the airship.  "They got away?"  He asked when he saw that Jack and Deklin were nowhere in sight.

            "Yes," the wereman replied.

            "Let's go get 'em then," Deke replied as he stood up on his own.  "You three coming?"  He shouted over the rail at Eiko, Cid, and Pearl who were slowly walking over, talking among themselves.  The three of them stepped onto the airship, eying the wereman and Deke strangely.

            "What is going on here?  What are you not telling us?"  Cid asked the wereman calmly.  "You seemed to be one step up on their operation the entire time, now spill it."  

            The wereman looked at Cid in annoyance.  "Let's get airborne first, we can't let them get away.  I'll tell you everything once we're in the air."

            Cid agreed and all five of them went into the airship's control room.  The wereman looked at the foreign controls and shrugged.  "Eiko, can you fly this thing?"

            Eiko looked up from the controls like something scared her.  "Why would I?"

            "You lived with Cid in Lindbulm for a couple years, I figured you picked something up," the wereman explained.

            "How do you know that?"  Eiko asked the wereman, studying his face.

            "I'll explain in the air, now can you fly it?"  The wereman growled, growing impatient from the wait.

            "I'll try," Eiko nodded as she turned to the controls.  She looked down at the controls, spotting the throttle, steering, then a large button at the bottom of the console.  "I hope this is the starter…" she whispered as she pressed the button as the ship shuddered and came to life.  She timidly grabbed the controls and slowly got the airship into the air.  "Whew, it's been a while," she laughed as she pointed the nose of the ship out towards the exit and sped the ship up.  They were airborne a minute later, following the small dot of the other airship on the horizon.  "Start explaining, I'll keep following them," she said seriously to the wereman.

            "To do that I need you to help me," he explained as motioned for Deke to take the wheel.  Eiko gently gave him the controls and stepped over to the wereman.  "I need my true form back.  With your magic, you should be able to find a way to fix this," he gestured at his lupine features.  "Just try to remove whatever status effects are affecting me now, it should work," the wereman ordered as he stood back against the wall and braced himself.

            "Here goes nothing," Eiko muttered as she cast the most powerful heal spell.  The pink light covered the wereman as his body began to change.  The fur all over his body melted into clothes.  The claws on his left hand disappeared, turning into normal flesh.  The claws on his right hand, got larger, but looked different, it was hard to tell through the pink glow.  Finally he pitched forward, catching himself on his hands and knees as his insides restructured themselves.  Finally the glow faded away, and Eiko looked down at him.  All she could see was the top of his head, she noticed the long red dreadlocks and blinked, not believing her eyes.  The wereman stood up, finally returned to his past glory.  "Amarant?" she whispered, recognizing her old friend.

            "Yes, it is I, Amarant Coral," he said, checking himself over, making sure he was back to normal.

            "That's nice and all, Eiko please take the controls again, I think I'm gonna pass out," Deke said as he grabbed Eiko with one hand, pulling her to the controls.  Eiko fiddled with the controls for a minute, finally turning on the auto-pilot.  She turned around to find Deke being supported by Cid.  

            "Curaga," she said as she cast the healing magic on Deke.  The light seeped into his body, closing some small wounds, allowing him to stand on his own.  "Is that really you Amarant?"  Eiko asked as she turned to her old friend.

            He nodded and was about to speak as Cid finally spoke up.  "Time for explanations Amarant.  What is going on here?"  The knight asked impatiently, looking past him out the window.

            "I tracked Eiko and followed her here through the same crystal she touched six years ago.  I was changed when I arrived.  Through my travels and searching over the years I formed a theory of how to get back to my true self, and maybe out of here.  This world's crystal was broken fifteen years ago, shattered and scattered across the land.  My plan was to use the princess's crystal to try to transport me home or to somehow change my form back to normal.  But since Eiko has her powers back there is no need."

            "My ring and the pendant, are both parts of the crystal?"  Cid asked as he squinted into the distance.

            "Yes, we can't let Ashura get them, there is no way to tell what kind of power he may gain if he controls them.  He is a cruel warlord who will kill everyone that gets in his way," Amarant finished.

            "What does this have to do with me?"  Deke asked as he tried to spot what Cid was watching through the window.

            "You may look a little different now, but you are from our world as well.  I lived in the same town as you for half a year.  You and your brother were great fighters, the best I'd ever seen.  Your real name is Travis Starmore.  I figured it would be best to keep an eye on you."

            "What is the plan?  Get the pendant and get out?"  Pearl asked as she looked at the ground passing them by.

            "Make it up as we go along, try your best," Amarant nodded.

            "Eiko, you better take the controls, we are almost at Ashura's tower.  Starmore, come with me, we need to find you a weapon," Cid commanded, leaving the cabin.

            "Weapon….  weapon…" Travis muttered under his breath as he followed the knight.

            After they had left Amarant spoke to Eiko and Pearl.  "We need to be careful around Deklin, he has regained his power as well, now that he has the pendant."

            "You mean…."  Eiko stopped as it dawned on her.

            "He is a black mage."


	7. Canto 1 : Verse 7 : Explosive Meetings

**_The Song of Eternity_**

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**_Canto 1_**

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**_Parm: The Forsaken Realm_**

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**_Verse 7_**

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**_Explosive Meetings_**

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**_On the roof of the world,_**

**_They gathered with everything at stake._**

**_Not strong enough to win,_**

**_Strong enough to survive._**

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****

            Jack and Deklin leapt from the airship they were piloting as it sailed towards the desert below.  They landed on the roof of Ashura's tower and rolled to a stop at the feet of the tyrant himself.  "What happened?"  HE questioned them irately as he had his guards pull them to their feet.  He glanced towards the desert where the airship impacted, leaving a flaming crater.  "This better be good," he stated angrily.

            "The princess is alive, but we have the pendant.  There was a magic user there, we barely escaped.  They almost had us, but I used the pendant to blast them back while we made our escape," Deklin explained.

            "And the flaming crater in the desert?"  Ashura asked as he looked at the thieves.

            "They started chasing us in another airship, we had to make this thing go faster than it was made to.  It was overheating and almost exploded a couple times on the way here," Jack explained as he wiped the sweat from his forehead.  "They are still coming," Jack said as he pointed at the airship closing on the tower.

            "You fools, you led them here!"  Ashura shouted angrily.  "Get the rest of the guards!"  Ashura shouted at one of the guards who raced off to alert help.  "You two had better get ready, this is your chance to redeem yourself," Ashura laughed as he took a pair of swords from on of his guards.  "This will be interesting."

            The airship landed roughly on the roof of the tower.  After it had settled five people climbed from it and walked over towards Ashura.  "You should leave now Cid," Ashura grinned evilly as his guards placed themselves between the two sides.  "Princess, how nice to see you here as well.  Guards, take them."  Ashura ordered as the guards engaged the five heroes. 

            Cid, Amarant, and Deke took up the front while Eiko and Pearl backed them up with what curative magic they knew.  Jack, Ashura, and Deklin looked at the battle, noticing the three different fighting styles.  Cid was the most conventional of the fighters.  He used his armor to his advantage taking several ineffective hits in order to deliver several killing blows.  He was holding his own and beating back the four guards that went after him.  Amarant was beating back his five attackers like it was child's play.  He had trained long and hard before and during his exile on Parm.  He was paying attention to Ashura, preparing himself for the real battle.  Deke was confused as he battled the half dozen guards that came after him.  He was holding them back using his sword to attack and his metal hand to deflect blows.  He wasn't even breathing hard.  He stayed silent, contemplating his newfound abilities as he stabbed his last opponent.

            "You are strong, but no match for me," Ashura gloated as he advanced on the warriors.  He struck at Amarant and Cid with his swords, knocking them back while he backhanded Deke into a crate.  He swung the swords at them again, this time knocking Cid backwards with a gash across his face.  "Weaklings!"  He roared as he turned his attention to Amarant.

            Amarant knew when he was outmatched.  He used his speed to his advantage, dodging the blows from the swords, striking at Ashura with his claw.  He swung his claw with all his might, tearing a chunk of meat from Ashura's leg.  He stood back while Ashura howled in pain, clutching his leg.  He let it go a moment afterwards, allowing Amarant and the others to see what was going on.  The area where his bone could be seen was rapidly closing as Ashura's flesh regenerated, leaving no wound.  Amarant shuffled backwards to where Eiko and Pearl were healing Cid.  "We need to escape.  He is too powerful, he regenerates whatever we do to him before we can do any more damage.  Eiko, try to stun him with an Eidelon so we can get to the airship."

            "What about Deke?"  Eiko asked as she prepared to call an Eidelon.

            "I'll handle him and get the pendant back, just hurry up with that spell," Amarant ordered as he ran over and helped Deke up.  He glanced back at Ashura, who was advancing on Eiko, Pearl, and Cid.  He grabbed Deke by the collar and pulled him to his feet.  "Get ready to get to the airship, we need to bail soon, understand?"  Deke nodded his head in reply as Eiko called out Madeen.

            Ashura stared at the huge creature before him, surprised, but not worried.  Madeen's energy attack began to strike Ashura, who covered his vital areas as best as he could.  Ashura screamed in pain as the attack ripped into his flesh.

            Meanwhile, Amarant had made his way over to behind where Jack and Deklin were looking on at the battle.  "Time to go Jack," Amarant said calmly as Jack and Deklin whirled around to meet him.  Deklin took a step away from Jack, drawing his dagger.

            "What is going on here?"  He asked gravely.  He shook his head, he had been having a hard time concentrating ever since Amarant showed up.  "Jack?"

            "Sorry about this, you aren't a bad guy really, just working for the wrong side.  Now hand over the pendant," Jack ordered, extending his hand.

            "Over my dead body," Deklin said as he stepped away from Amarant and Jack.  He turned his head sharply as Madeen finished attacking Ashura.  He blinked his eyes and pulled out the pendant, holding it tight in his hand.  The pendant glowed brightly, the light coming out of his fist illuminating his face.  He looked around again, as if he was dazed, then whispered out loud.  "What have I done?"  He turned around and started to walk toward Ashura, sending Jack and Amarant sprawling backwards with a blast of energy.

            Ashura was rapidly recovering from the Eidelon attack and was advancing on Eiko, Pearl, and Cid.  He swung his blade at their unprotected selves, but had it knocked away at the last second by Deke.  He was stumbling, almost falling over, as he kept his sword high to defend them.  Ashura swung several more times, each blow being deflected by Deke at the last second, as if by sheer luck alone.

            "You are beginning to tire me, begone!"  Ashura shouted as he swept a huge hand forward, sending the four of them backwards, towards the airship.  "Time for the end princess," Ashura growled as he stalked towards their groggy forms.

            "Not today butcher," came a voice from behind Ashura, causing him to turn around, surprised.  Deklin's face was dark, with his eyes glowing bright orange with power.  There was a sphere of red and black energy hovering in the palm of his right palm.  "You used me, time to pay the price!"  Deklin shouted as he propelled the ball of energy at Ashura.  "Flare!"  The ball expanded, covering Ashura, roasting his flesh, making him scream out in pain.  Ashura fell to the ground after the spell had dissipated, his body still steaming, but breathing and rapidly regenerating.  "Get out of here!  I will stop him!"  Deklin shouted at the others who had all gathered at the airship.

            "What should we do?"  Eiko asked Amarant as they loaded Cid on the airship.  Pearl was helping Deke to his feet on the roof, and Jack was taking Cid to the control room to the ship started.

            "Go try to stop him if you can, I'll try to get us a way out of here," Amarant ordered as he went to the control room where Jack and Cid were shouting at each other.

            Eiko ran past Deke and Pearl to where Deklin was waiting while Ashura got back up.  "Deklin, hurry, come with us," she pleaded as she pulled on his desert cloak.

            "It is too late, you should have left when I said…" Deklin said quietly as the tower began to shake.  

            "What's going on?"  Eiko asked as she grabbed Deklin and pulled him around to look in his face.

            "He is bringing down the tower, he has magic too," Deklin explained as the roof began to crumble and fall. 

            "You lose, none of you will survive!"  Ashura laughed as he fell through a hole in the roof.

            Deklin grabbed Eiko as the shaking began to get bad.  "Time to go," he whispered as a puff of smoke surrounded them and they vanished.

            Meanwhile, Pearl was helping Deke up into the airship when the chunk of rooftop under the airship cracked and fell from the tower, taking the airship with it.  Pearl fell towards the desert with the airship.  She couldn't grab anything to stop her descent.  She looked forward as the airship pulled up and flew away over the dunes.  She closed her eyes, waiting for the impact to come.  Instead, she had the wind knocked out of her as she opened her eyes twenty feet above the ground, and looked up to see Deke holding her with one arm, with the metal arm imbedded in the tower itself.


	8. Canto 1 : Verse 8 : One Last Soul

**_The Song of Eternity_**

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**_Canto 1_**

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**_Parm: The Forsaken Realm_**

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**_Verse 8_**

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**_One Last Soul_**

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**_They fled the desert,_**

**_Not knowing the fate of their allies,_**

**_Only to find another._**

            "Pull harder or we are going to die!"   Jack screamed as he, Amarant, and Cid pulled on the controls of the airship as it sailed towards the desert floor.  They all had their feet braced against the control panel itself as they pulled back on the controls with all their strength.  Finally the ship leveled off, the wind from it's wake creating a cloud of sand.  Jack took the controls as Cid and Amarant leaned on the wall, sweating and bleeding from the battle.  "What's the plan boss?"  Jack questioned Amarant.

            "What happened to the others?"  Amarant asked Cid and Jack while he looked back over the desert at the collapsing tower.

            "I saw Deklin grab Eiko, but then they just disappeared, no idea about Pearl and Deke though," Jack commented as he examined the airship's controls and gauges.

            "They fell, they were trying to get onboard, but fell as the tower collapsed," Cid said quietly.  "We should go back, try to find them, see if they somehow survived."

            "Negative, we need to go ready the troops.  Ashura will attack soon, he would not have destroyed his tower if he was not sure he would survive.  We need to go prepare.  Eiko can take care of herself.  If Pearl is alive, that means Deke is with her.  He can handle himself, whether he knows it or not," Amarant said to Cid.

            "Besides, this hunk of junk isn't going to make it back to that tower, much less to Haven.  Check out the gauges, oil pressure is way off, engine is overheating, and I'm losing control bit by bit.  We won't make it to Haven in this piece of crap.  Go find a map, try to find out where we can land this and get transportation," Jack said annoyedly as he banged on several of the gauges.

            "I saw a map below decks," Amarant commented as he left the bridge.

            Cid and Jack stood there in uneasy silence for a couple seconds before Cid spoke.  "Explain yourself now Raccoumb," Cid ordered the thief.  

            "Short and to the point, that's what I love about you Cid," Jack laughed as he steered the ship.  "Let's just say that all of us have a common enemy here and it was in my best interest to stop him from getting that pendant."

            "But you work for Ashura, you stole things from my castle for him," Cid replied angrily.

            "You can't prove that was me," Jack laughed as Amarant walked back into the room.

            "He has more reason to stop Ashura than most of us combined Cid," Amarant said as he unrolled the map.

            Cid looked at Jack in disbelief.  Jack felt Cid's eyes on him and spoke.  "You know the story of Ashura right?  He just showed up and took over the desert tribes, right?  Wrong.  He showed up and killed all the leaders of the individual tribes.  The tower was ours originally, the leaders gathered there in a council to meet with Ashura.  He killed all the leaders and their families.  Except for me," Jack finished as he wiped a tear from his eye.  "I will stop him, he will not do to others what he did to me," Jack stopped talking and set the controls on autopilot.  "Where are we now?"  He asked as he went over to where Amarant had the map pinned up on the wall.

            "As near as I can guess, we are somewhere in the northwest part of the desert, here," Amarant pointed at the map.

            "Then we are definitely not making it back to Haven," Jack shook his head as he studied the map.  "Closest city with transportation?"

            "New Eden, but they are not on good terms with me.  It may be difficult to get what we need," Cid shook his head.            

            "New Eden, no problem, where do you think I've been working out of all this time?  I know tons of people there.  Just give me a day.  I'll have to sell this hunk of junk, but I know people who will buy it for parts.  With the money from it I can get us a boat back to Haven," Jack finished as he went back to the controls.  "Any objections?"

            "No, but I will be contacting Rhu, warning him of what Ashura may be planning," Cid sighed as he looked to the map.  "How long until we get there?"

            "A couple hours, don't worry about it, I'll take care of everything," Jack assured them as he looked to the horizon.

            It had been two days since they had landed roughly in a junkyard on the outskirts of New Eden.  Following the landing Cid agreed to meet with them somewhere on the docks in two days time.  He had left them to deal with transportation while he entered the city to talk with Jo' Rhu.  He was received politely.  Rhu listened to what he had to say, then had him removed from the castle, he was still angry over the lack of help received from Cid's knights during his war with the ogres.  Cid checked into an inn near the waterfront and stayed out of sight for the two days.

            On the day he was to meet with Jack and Amarant he impatiently paced the area of the waterfront where the passenger ships were moored.  He took a seat on a nearby crate and waited for another hour until he spotted Jack.  Jack spotted him and whistled Amarant who appeared behind him in a minute.  They walked over and greeted Cid.  "Good to see you Cid, heard that Rhu didn't take a liking to you much," Jack laughed.

            "He is an ignorant warmonger, do we have transportation?"  Cid replied.

            "Yes, this way," Jack confirmed as he led them to another part of the waterfront.

            Cid stopped when he noticed the markings on some of the ships.  "These are pirate vessels."

            "They are the only ones who would take us, Jack knows the captain.  He trusts them," Amarant explained as he shifted the weight of the pack he was carrying.  

            "This way," Jack said as he led the way to a small, but fast looking ship.  "This is the _Hunter," Jack said proudly._

            Someone landed on the ground behind Amarant suddenly, causing him to whirl around, ready to strike.  "You!"  He exclaimed as he lowered his claw back to his side.

            "That's not a good way to greet the captain Amarant," Jack frowned as they all got on the boat.

            "What the hell did you people do Jack?"  The captain asked as they went to the bridge.  "Ashura's spies are looking for you three, not to mention that Rhu is looking for you and Amarant."

            "We'll explain later, we should get going now, the city guards should be closing on this area soon," Amarant pointed out as he could see several men in suits of armor entering the area.

            As the ship pushed off they looked back to see dozens of men in armor swarming the docks.  "They can't catch us, don't worry about it," the captain laughed.

            "What did you two do?"  Cid asked his two companions.

            "Liberated something that we will need in the coming days," Jack laughed as he produced a ring with a large stone set in it.  Jack dodged the fist of Cid and bolted from the bridge leaving Amarant and the captain alone.

            Amarant stood silently for a minute then spoke.  "Long time no see Lani."

            "You two big guy."


	9. Canto 1 : Verse 9 : Run

**_The Song of Eternity_**

****

**_Canto 1_**

****

**_Parm: The Forsaken Realm_**

****

**_Verse 9_**

****

**_Run_**

****

**_Abandoned by their allies,_**

**_Captured by the enemy,_**

**_His strength shows,_**

**_And they escape to the haven._**

****

            Pearl cried out in pain as she was thrown into the cell.  She caught Deke as he was thrown in after her.  He was unconscious.  After falling from the tower, she waited for the end as she should have slammed into the ground, instead feeling a pain around her waist as Deke's human arm stopped her fall and his metal arm stopped both of their falls.  She made him comfortable on the floor of the cell as she recalled what happened afterwards.

            Deke had jumped to the ground, keeping her safe, and led her away as the tower fell and the airship fled.  They could hear Ashura shouting after the tower had settled.  He was alive and wanted out.  Deke had lost his sword in the commotion of the collapsing tower.  Thousands of soldiers closed on the tower in the minute after it fell, surrounding them.  They surrendered and Deke was knocked unconscious by the guards as they were taken to the cell.      

            Pearl was startled as she felt Deke's hand grab her.  "Shhh…., come closer, and whisper," he said quietly through his teeth.  "Pretend like you're checking on me," he whispered as she pretended to be helping him recover.  "Where are we?"

            "A jail cell, in a building a couple hundred feet from the tower," Pearl whispered back to him.  She got quiet as a guard walked by, looking in on them.

            "How many guards?"  Deke whispered as he opened one eye a crack.

            "Only one, the rest are all getting Ashura out of the tower, we only have another half hour or so before they get him free," Pearl whispered as she helped Deke to his feet.  He leaned against the bars, grimacing in pain.  He was cut and bleeding all over, his glove on his metal hand had been destroyed in the fall.  

            "Only one?"  He whispered as the guard began to walk back to over to their cell.  Pearl nodded as the guard stood outside the cell and studied the prisoners.  Deke stood back from the cell and snickered.  "I feel sorry for you buddy," he laughed as he pulled his metal hand back and punched through the bars into the guard's face, knocking him out.  "Here," he ordered as he handed Pearl the guard's cloak.  He took the guard's sword as he nervously watched the exit.  "Where is your closest ally?"  He asked as he went up to the door and peeked outside.

            "The dwarves to the north, but that is fifty miles away at least," Pearl explained as Deke looked around.  

            He finally stopped and faced one direction.  "Okay, north is that way," he nodded as if agreeing with himself.  "We need to walk out of here, don't run.  Keep your face down and keep walking.  Once we get to the desert, I can run us to the mountains in ten or so hours because of this sand."

            "Are you sure?"  She asked as she tried to work out how fast he would have to be.

            "I'll be fine, I don't spend all my time drinking you know.  I can run like it's my job," he smiled as he pushed the door open and motioned for her to leave.  

            Pearl woke up later by a small mountain spring.  "You up?"  Deke asked her as he washed the dirt off his face and drank from the stream.  He was soaked in sweat and caked with sand from the run.

            "Yes, are you okay?"  She questioned as she took a drink.

            "Peachy, I love running sixty miles through a desert in the night," Deke answered sarcastically.

            "What time is it?  Where are we?"  Pearl questioned as she looked around, trying to find the entrance to the dwarven cities.  The mountains got steep and rocky up ahead, there was half a mile or so of rolling hills behind them, but she could see the desert past that.

            "No idea, I passed out when we got here, you were up until about an hour from here.  I'm guessing it's about 3 or 4.  I have no idea where this city of yours is though, I've never been the mountains before," he laughed as he leaned back against a rock.

            "I've never been to the southern entrance either," Pearl admitted.

            "Don't worry about it too much, assuming the dwarves are friendly, they should find us here soon.  When I was just waking up I saw one in what looked like military armor looking at you, then he checked me out.  Probably a scout," Deke concluded as he stretched out on the rock.

            "Very perceptive," came a gruff voice from behind Deke.  A dwarf with an exceptionally long beard came out and gave the princess a hug.  "What brings you and your strange companion here princess?"

            "He's a friend, right?"  Deke asked as he struggled to his feet.

            "Yes Deke.  This is Dugan, he's the king of the dwarves here," Pearl explained.

            "Good, then he can get some guards out here to carry my unconscious body somewhere, because I am about five seconds from passing out from exhaustion," Deke explained as he sat and leaned on his rock and closed his eyes.

            "Quite a strange fellow you found princess," Dugan commented.

            "He caught me as Ashura's tower fell, then punched through a jail's bars, then ran here overnight carrying me.  Strange doesn't begin to explain it," she laughed as Dugan looked at Deke closely.

            "Ashura's tower?"  Dugan questioned as he motioned for his guards.

            "He tried to have me killed, I'll explain it once we get inside.  But we need to get back to Haven as quickly as possible.  Ashura may be attacking here soon as well," Pearl explained.

            "It should not be a problem princess, we can have you back there in a day and a half," Dugan assured her as the guards carried Deke and they walked to an area that a rock had slid away from, revealing an entrance to the mountain.

            Deke blinked his eyes as he woke up in a cot, surrounded by dwarven guards.  He shook his head and looked around for Pearl.  "What's going on?"  He asked the closest guard.

            "Good, you are awake.  The captain will inform you on the situation.  In the meantime, we had these made for you," then dwarf explained as he revealed some chain mail and a long gleaming sword.

            Deke just finished putting the chain mail on and was strapping the sword to his side as another dwarf entered.  "There you are, finally up.  Come with me," the dwarf ordered as he beckoned for Deke to follow him from the room.  "It's been four days since you got here.  The princess left over two days ago.  You are coming with myself and my platoon.  We are to take you back to Haven and help garrison the city from Ashrura's coming attack.  The rest of the armor we had made for you is here," he tossed Deke a heavy backpack.  "I hope you like marching," the dwarf laughed as they exited the city and came across several thousand dwarven soldiers.

            "You call this a platoon?  This is a damned army," Deke said as he looked over the force in front of him.

            "Hopefully it will be enough to stop Ashura and his allies," the captain replied grimly as he walked towards he troops.

            "Got any food?  I'm starving,"  Deke asked as he caught back up to the captain.  "Wait a minute….what allies?"


	10. Canto 1 : Verse 10 : The Destroyer

**_The Song of Eternity_**

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**_Canto 1_**

****

**_Parm: The Forsaken Realm_**

****

**_Verse 10_**

****

**_The Destroyer_**

****

**_Saved by his remembered power,_**

**_Sent through the void to the land of the dead._**

**_One, realizing his mistakes,_**

**_Another, trying to find the truth,_**

**_And the third, waiting for his own salvation._**

****

            Eiko was awoken by the feeling of water being splashed on her face.  She blinked her eyes, finally focusing on Deklin.  "What happened?"  She asked him as he helped her to her feet.  She looked over the marshy swampland surrounding them as he explained.         

            "Ashura decided to bring his tower down to try to kill us all.  I grabbed you and brought us here," Deklin explained to her as she tried to remember.  "You passed out in the void," he explained to her.  "We are on the edge of the necromancer, Lim-Dul's swamp.  I advise you to leave now, I have work to do," Deklin finished as he turned away and started to walk into the swamp.

            "Wait!"  Eiko shouted, causing Deklin to stop and face her.  "What's the void, where are you going, and were you a mage on Gaia?"  She questioned him as she tried to make sense of the situation.

            "The void is the area between dimensions.  We black mages of Gaia discovered how to step into it, then to leave it and appear somewhere else.  I am going to kill the necromancer," he explained annoyedly.

            "Why did I pass out?"

            "The song is loud between worlds, you weren't expecting it."

            "The song?  Why are you going after Lim-Dul?"  Eiko shouted exasperatedly as she stomped her foot in frustration.

            "The song of the universe, of things to come.  I am going to try to atone for my mistakes here by stopping him from joining Ashura's attack force on Haven.  You should head north, try to warn them."

            "I'm going with you, you will need help," Eiko stated as she walked toward Deklin.

            "It's your choice," Deklin said gravely as he headed out into the swamp.

            They made camp for the night and Deklin started a fire.  Eiko found a dry rock and was sitting on it, studying the swamp while Deklin stared into the fire.  "You were a mage on Gaia?" she questioned him.

            "Yes," he replied, his eyes never leaving the fire.

            "So what gives with you helping Ashura?"

            "Amnesia and brainwashing," he replied in a disgusted tone.

            "Okay," she replied, falling silent.

            "You should leave this place, I may not be able to protect you," Deklin said as he stood up from the fire.  

            "I can take care of myself.  There isn't anything in this swamp anyway," Eiko responded to the mage.

            "Nothing that you've seen," the mage responded before laying down and attempting to drift off to sleep.

            "Who does he think he is?" Eiko asked aloud to no one before she closed her eyes, attempting to sleep.

            Deklin awoke the next morning to silence.  He opened his eyes to discover that Eiko was gone.  He got up quickly and scanned the area to find it empty.  He walked over to where she slept and found signs of a struggle and tracks leading into the desert.  He stood up and looked to where the tracks led, the crumbling castle in the distance.  "Bad move," he said quietly as he was lit up by an orange glow.

            "Let me go!" Eiko shouted at the skeletons that were dragging her through the halls of the castle.  Finally they deposited her in a throne room and closed the door, locking her in.  She pounded on the door, trying to get out, finally stopping when someone at the other end of the room cleared his throat.  She turned around startled as the man spoke.

            "Who are you and what are you doing in my swamp?" the man on the throne asked her.

            Eiko walked until she was about ten feet from the swamp and stopped to examine the man.  He had grey skin and long black hair.  He was dressed in a dark blue, almost black, cloak.  She finally saw his red eyes and recognized him.  "You're the necromancer," she reasoned.  He nodded in response.  "I'm Eiko Carol.  I came here by accident when I was fleeing from Ashura's tower."  She stopped as she thought of Deklin.  "Do you know where my friend is?"

            "He is coming here as we speak.  Why is he here?"  The necromancer asked angrily.

            "No reason, just running away, like me," Eiko lied.        

            "Take a look out the window and maybe you would like to answer that again," the necromancer ordered as he gestured at a window on the wall.

            Eiko walked over and looked through the window, then stepped back again quickly, not believing what she saw.  The swamp between where she and Deklin had slept and a mile from the castle was in flames.  "He came to stop you from joining up with Ashura," Eiko conceded as she went back near the necromancer.

            "He came to destroy me.  Who is he?" the necromancer shouted as he glanced at a statue to his left through the corner of his eye.

            "A mage from my world.  Ashura had him working for him until a day ago."

            "And now he is here to stop you from what you are about to do," came Deklin's voice from behind the throne as he stepped out in a puff of smoke.  "You, Ashura, and the ogres will fail.  I will not allow this to happen."

            "You will perish here, pathetic human," the necromancer threatened as Deklin went and stood by Eiko.  "You will never leave this room," he laughed as a wave of light washed over the area.

            "Anti-magic aura," Deklin stated as he felt the aura weighing him down.

            "But he's in here too," Eiko said as she pointed at the figure on the throne.

            "It is a trick," Deklin explained as the figure laughed as disappeared.  "It was an illusion.  It doesn't matter, I have what I needed to find.  Now we need to get out of here," he explained as he looked around for an exit.              

            "What did you find?" Eiko asked as she looked for another was out as well.

            "This," Deklin stated as he pulled a pendant with a red gem from his pocket and placed it around his neck.  As the pendant touched the one he stole from Pearl, they began to glow in unison.  He removed both of them from under his shirt and held them in his hand.  Suddenly, the light created a beam, spreading over to the ring Eiko received from Cid, and finally bouncing back to the statue near the throne.  "What the hell?"  He muttered to himself as he and Eiko walked over to the statue.  

            As Deklin and Eiko examined it they both began to hear the sound of undead soldiers approaching.  "Deklin," Eiko whispered with a hint of fear in her voice.

            "I know," he replied as he circled the statue and stopped.  "This is impossible…." he whispered to no one as he examined the back of the statue.

            Eiko circled back to what he was looking at and froze.  "Is this him?"  She questioned Deklin as they heard the footsteps come closer.  "Should I try to revive him?"

            "We have no choice, the guards are almost here.  Do it," Deklin nodded as he ran to brace the door.  As he ran over he tossed Eiko one of the pendants.  "The pendants unlock out power from home, give it to him once he's up," Deklin shouted as he placed his back to the door and pushed back against the guards.

            Eiko closed her eyes as she grasped the pendant in her hand, trying to use her magic to depetrify the statue.  She finally got a small sphere of energy to form and start to melt away the stone as Deklin shouted for her to hurry up.  The last of the stone melted away and the figure in the statue fell to all fours on the floor.  Eiko handed him the pendant and shouted at him as Deklin ran towards them, leaving the broken doors behind.  "There is an anti-magic aura around us now, negate it or we are going to die!"

            Deklin dove and grabbed at the pair of them as a funnel of smoke expanded from his body, covering all three of them, finally dissipating as the skeletons swung their swords through it, revealing that the three of them had disappeared.


	11. Canto 1 : Verse 11 : Together Again

**_The Song of Eternity_**

****

**_Canto 1_**

****

**_Parm: The Forsaken Realm_**

****

**_Verse 11_**

****

**_Together Again_**

****

**_Drawn together again back in the free land,_**

**_They gather and relive the past._**

****

            Eiko leaned back in her chair in the bar.  She hadn't been working the last few days since returning to Haven, just thinking.  She had left word at the castle for when the others returned, for them to meet her in the bar.  So the bar was where she had stayed, alone most of the time.  She had met with her companions, Deklin and the man she freed from the stone each night, but neither of them were big into talking.

            She thought back to when she talked to the man she freed from the stone the day after they returned.  They were sitting at the table she was at now.  "Do you remember who you are?"  She had asked him as they ate their dinner.

            "Not something one is likely to forget," he replied in disgust.  They ate in silence for a bit longer, until he broke the silence.  "I am not going to do anything crazy.  You two freed me.  I need to find out about this place.  But I am on your side." 

            "Don't skip town until Amarant returns, okay Kuja?"  She had asked him, not believing his sincerity.

            "Trust me, I am not going anywhere," he replied angrily before leaving the table and exiting the bar.

            She looked into her half empty glass as she thought to the conversation she had with Deklin yesterday.  They were sitting together eating in silence.  Kuja had left earlier to try to find out more about his current situation.  "So you had to do a lot of bad things for Ashura here?" she asked him, trying to make conversation.  "Probably nothing worse than on Gaia, right?"  She kept pushing, trying to pry some information from the mage.  "Which of the mages were you anyway?"

            "Do not speak of my acts here as if they were no big thing," he replied with fire in his eyes.  "I am not one of the mages that Kuja used.  I never committed an evil act on Gaia.  But that was then, this is now.  Vivi is dead, only Deklin remains," he said darkly as he disappeared in a puff of smoke.

            She rested her head on the table as the door opened and what sounded like a rowdy group of dwarves entered.  She heard them cursing and shouting about some encounter they had with ogres on the way to Haven.  She felt one of them sit down across the table from her.  "This table is taken," she told him angrily as she raised her head at the dwarf.

            "Warm welcomes, you need to work on," Deke replied as he relaxed in the chair.  Eiko just stared at him as he removed his bloody and tattered chain mail.  He dropped it to the ground along with a sword that was stained red and covered with scratches and nicks from battle.  "What?" he asked as he noticed Eiko just staring.

            "What the hell happened to you?"  Eiko questioned her friend.  "One day you're hanging around here, the next you come in here like you've been through a war."

            "If you haven't noticed, we are at war," he laughed as he grabbed a beer from a passing waitress.  "I got Pearl out of the desert, we met up with some dwarves in the mountains and I fell asleep for a couple days.  When I woke up, she had left for Haven, so I headed here with the dwarven army.  My group, the rear guard, got ambushed by some ogres.  Do you have any idea about who I was on Gaia?"

            "No, I spent most of my time in the big cities.  What do you mean you slept for a couple days?" Eiko questioned him.

            "I ran across that damn desert, I was tired.  Whatever I was on Gaia, it musta been huge.  I took out most of the ambush party myself," he finished and grew silent, intent on his drink.  Another hour went by, the two of them just sat there, waiting for the others to arrive.  Suddenly Deke got up from the table.  He pulled a pair of daggers from his belt and pointed them at the throat area as a puff of smoke appeared and dissipated to reveal a surprised Deklin and Kuja.  "No idea who that one is, but is he a friend now?"  Deke asked Eiko as he pointed his dagger at Deklin.

            "Yes, they're both 'friends' now," Eiko assured Deke.  Deke nodded, then went back to his seat.  

            Deklin and Kuja sat down at the table before Deklin spoke.  "Amarant and the others are on the way, they should be here in five minutes or so.  How did you do that?" he asked Deke.  Deke said nothing, he only shrugged.  "I guess it really is you."

            "What do you mean, who am I?"  Deke asked him angrily as he slammed his mug down.

            "I never met you, but someone who matched your description came to my village when I was on a mission back on Gaia.  He gave us a lot of insight into magic, he had a natural power to feel the mana.  You have to be him, you felt the spell before it happened," Deklin explained.

            "Right....   Who's he?" Deke asked as he gestured at Kuja.

            "Kuja, he nearly destroyed Gaia, but Amarant, Deklin, and I stopped him with help from our friends," Eiko explained.

            "Then why…" Deke was cut off as Amarant, Pearl, Cid, Jack, and Lani entered the bar.  "Never mind, probably nothing…"  The nine of them all gathered around the table, ordered some food and drinks, then sat in silence for a bit.  "So, what's going on?"  Deke said as he broke the silence.

            "It seems that most of us met under extreme circumstances recently, but since no one has double crossed anyone yet, I think we can trust everyone here.  So, to get everyone up to speed, just go along, say who you are and what you do," Amarant took charge as most of the bar cleared out.  "I am Amarant Coral, a fighter from Gaia.  I was an outcast until the power of that ring," he pointed at Eiko," gave her her power back and she brought me back to normal."

            "Jack Raccoumb, deposed monarch of the desert.  Now I'm just a thief," Jack explained before he drank down some of his beer and leaned back in his chair.

            "Lani Shinji," Lani stated, causing Deke and Amarant to look in her direction sharply.  "Bounty hunter from Gaia, been pirating here for about four years."

            "Kuja.  I kill things.  I'm from Terra, but I destroyed it and almost destroyed Gaia," Kuja said calmly as he noticed the surprised look on some of the others' faces.

            "Deklin, Vivi Ornitier, whatever you want, from Gaia.  I'm a black mage, but due to all my fun times here I have a lot of assassin skills," he said bitterly before swallowing some more beer.

            "Eiko Carol, from Gaia as well.  I know a lot of white magic and can summon monsters," she finished before elbowing Deke for his turn.

            "Well, this could be a little confusing.  I don't actually know myself.  But from what everyone else here tells me, my name is Travis Starmore, but you can call me Deke if you want.  I am apparently from some other dimension by way of Gaia.  And from what I've seen, I have superior fighting skills, superhuman strength and agility, and half a metal arm.  And Deklin tells me I might know some magic," he shrugged as he went back to his drink.

            "Cid Pendragon, from Farluna.  I am the leader of the knights of Avalon."

            "Pearl Havenolsysron.  You all know that I am the soon to be queen of Haven, but I can work a little curative magic as well.  Now that we all know each other, does anyone have any questions?"

            "Do I know you?"  "Your last name is Shinji?"  Deke and Amarant spoke quickly, directing their questions at Lani.

            "I don't think so and so what?"  

            "Nothing, it just rung a bell," Deke muttered as he shook his head.

            "I'll tell you sometime later," Amarant said as he decided to continue on with the meeting.  "As near as we can tell, Ashura, the ogres, and the undead armies are all going to converge here the day after tomorrow.  They are after these," he produces a necklace from his pocket and set it on the table.  "This, along with whatever pieces the rest of you have, are our ticket out of here.  This, Eiko's ring, the necklace Deklin stole, Jack's dagger, and the two pieces we took from Eden, along with whatever pieces Ashura has, are this world's crystal.  He broke it fifteen years ago, Jack's people saw it and took the pieces away, scattering them as far as they could.  If we can get all the pieces, we should be able to fuse them back together and go home."

            "So what he's trying to say is, we need to stop Ashura's armies, then stop Ashura," Jack said, simplifying the situation.

            "So what's the plan, boss man?" Deke slurred from his face down position.

            "Just get out there when the fighting starts.  I'll get your names out to the armory.  If you need things, go get them tomorrow.  When the fighting starts, if you see Ashura, send out a signal and try to hold him off until help arrives.  Thank you for your help," Pearl said.

            "No problem princess, none of us are very friendly with those forces.  And all of want to go home," Kuja assured her.

            "Until the battle then," Cid nodded as he raised his glass for a toast.

            "Until the battle," they all agreed as the mugs clanked together.


	12. Canto 1 : Verse 12 : Power Overwhelming

**_The Song of Eternity_**

****

**_Canto 1_**

****

**_Parm: The Forsaken Realm_**

****

**_Verse 12_**

****

**_Power Overwhelming_**

****

**_On the eve of destruction…,_**

**_Destiny shares a conversation._**

**_On the day of fire…,_**

**_True power is let free._**

****

            Deke stumbled through the streets of Haven.  Amarant had woken him earlier, telling him to hurry and get prepared for battle, that the enemy would arrive later in the day.  Finally he found himself at the armory and stopped to inspect his gear.  He sat down under a tree and spread out the gear the dwarves had given him.  The chain mail was no worse for the wear, but the sword was ruined.  He chuckled and pitched it to the side.

            "You should watch where you throw things," Kuja said as he carried the sword back over to Deke and sat down, inspecting the weapon.  "What happened to this weapon?"

            "Nothing big, killed the majority of an ogre ambush party, the usual," Deke explained as he began to stuff the good pieces of chain mail back into his bag.  "Kuja, right?" he asked as he extended his human hand.

            "Right," Kuja nodded as he shook hands.  "You don't remember anything?" Kuja asked Deke.

            "Nope.  The only thing I really know how to do is fight, apparently.  Did we meet on Gaia?"

            "I don't think so.  There is something about you though.  I don't know what it is, but I could swear I know you from somewhere," Kuja admitted.

            "I know the feeling.  I get it every day.  It's knowing that you should be able to recall something, but it's just out of reach.  The way I get through it is to just move on.  Just grit your teeth and trust that what you are doing is right," Deke finished as he brushed himself off and got to his feet.  "Nice to meet you Kuja, but I need to sober up, grab a sword or two, and get to the front lines."

            "Don't get yourself killed out there."

            Deke chuckled to himself.  "Now why is that funny?"  He asked himself as he entered the armory.  

------------------------------_-------------That afternoon------------------------------------------_

_            Deke and Kuja looked over the battlefield from their respective positions.  Deke, with the dwarves, staring out across the battlefield at the ogres.  Kuja, hovering in the air, looking at the undead army.  Deke hadn't seen any of the others since his conversation with Kuja in the morning.  Kuja knew that Eiko and Pearl were in the back, readying their curative spells and the others were somewhere on the front lines.  _

            The enemy continued to march, the ogres to one side, the undead to the other, and the human desert forces in the middle.  Greatly out numbered were the dwarves, Haven's army, and the few knights that could make it in time.  When the armies were fifty feet apart, all hell broke loose.  The forces charged each other with an animalistic fury, hungry for battle.  

            Kuja floated in the air, assessing the situation as the undead shambled towards the waiting knights.  The ogres and humans were already fighting, but the undead were too slow to stay in synch.  When the undead were twenty feet from the knights, Kuja acted.  He raised his hands, and fire swept through the undead ranks.  He concentrated all of his power on his spell, making it spread like wildfire throughout the ranks of the undead.  He noticed through his peripheral vision, several smaller fires starting deep in the undead ranks.  He concentrated on the scene in front of him and finally caught a glimpse of Deklin as he teleported himself around, casting the destructive fire spells, slashing a few zombies to bits, then escaping.

            Kuja lost his concentration as a ballistae bolt tore through the sky.  He barely had enough time to dodge the blast, but the momentary lapse allowed the fires to weaken to the point where the undead could put them out.  "Damn," he swore as hurled balls of fire at the advancing force.  Eventually he shifted his gaze to the sky and stopped hurling fireballs.  "Oh, shit," he muttered as he braced himself before the gigantic undead dragon's claw stabbed into his midsection, and threw his to the ground.

            Kuja held his midsection as he got to his feet, trying to think past the pain.  The dragon landed in front of him and it's rider dismounted.  "You must be the one they freed from my palace," Lim-Dul taunted as he drew a thin black sword.  "You must understand, I want to kill you myself, it's a matter of pride."

            "Then you'll understand why it's a matter of pride for us to kill you and end your perversion of life," Deklin spoke as he came into view with a ball of fire hovering an inch from his hand.

            "Surprise, surprise," Kuja smiled as he removed his hand from his wound, revealing pink unbroken flesh.  

            "Pitiful creatures, always reliant on magic," Lim-Dul scoffed.  "What would you do without your magic?"  Lim-Dul smiled as the ball of fire disappeared.  The dragon took the opportunity to swing it's tail at Deklin, sending him flying backwards over the city wall.  "All alone, what will you do without your magic?"  The necromancer laughed as he raised his sword.

            "Whatever I can," Kuja replied as he closed his eyes and dug deep within his being for any mana or power he could muster.  "I will not fail!"  Kuja shouted as his body turned as black as night.

            "What is this?"  Lim-Dul backed away curiously as he watched Kuja's transformation.  

            Kuja concentrated on nothing but destroying the necromancer in front of him.  Small points of light appeared all over his body, shining like they were coming from deep within his body.  As they got brighter, Lim-Dul could feel the power in the air.  Finally they erupted from Kuja's body, spraying blood as they left.  The beams of light drove through Lim-Dul, his dragon, and continued going on into the combined armies, until they exploded, leaving small craters and killing dozens.  Kuja could feel himself being carried off the battlefield as he passed out.

            Deke rushed into the battle with a short sword in each hand, and a veritable arsenal strapped to his body.  As he battled against the ogres he continued to dodge all blows that came his way.  He saw a pair of dwarves in trouble and hurled the swords end over end until they embedded themselves in the backs of a pair of ogres.  Not pausing to admire his work, he removed the battleaxe from his back and started swinging it into the crowd of ogres with all his strength.  He clove through three or four ogres at a time, creating a wedge for the dwarves t use in their offensive.

            The axe got stuck in an ogre and he had to leave it as he saw the flames on the other side of the battlefield die down.  Frowning, he began to throw daggers from his belt and cloak and until he was out and two dozen ogres laid face down around him.  He grabbed for his last weapon, a wicked four foot long sword.

             He got back to work, cutting through the ogres, until he came to an area with one huge ogre surrounded by a dozen of what looked like royal guards.  The large one grunted and the guards charged him at once.  He was forced to backpedal a bit as he had to defend himself with both his sword in his left hand and using his metal hand/arm as a shield.  He dodged a blow from one of the guards, then as the ogre tried to pull his sword from the ground, Deke punched through it's skull, killing it.  

            The others stepped back, unsure of themselves, giving Deke a momentary advantage.  He pressed his attack, cutting his opponents down to six faster than they could react.  As he swung again, taking out another pair of ogres, he felt a sting in his gut he knew instinctively to be a sword wound.  He angrily hurled his sword at the offending ogre like a javelin, then punched in the skull of another, taking the guards down to two.  Weaponless and injured, they charged him from separate sides, forcing him to dodge one side's blows and to block the other with his  metal hand.  Finally he delivered a kick to one, knocking it back, and turned his attention to the other who was frantically trying to pull it's sword from the ground.  Deke held the ogre there as he karate chopped, severing the arm.  He pulled the ogre's sword from the ground and hurled it at the last guard, impaling it's skull.

            He walked over to his original weapon, pulling it from the corpse, then turning his attention to the one the others were guarding.  "What the hell are you supposed to be?"  He asked as he eyed up the enormous ogre.

            "I am Daggoth, Chief of the ogres.  Tell me your name, so that I know what to call you after I tear your head from your body," the ogre replied.

            "Travis Starmore, Deke, I really don't know anymore.  I wouldn't worry about it too much, you won't live another minute," Deke smiled as he went into a fighting stance.

            "You really think you can beat me human?"

            Deke shrugged as he sheathed his sword.  "I'm sure I can, but I'm just saying that the energy blast heading this way is going to get you before I get the chance."  Deke smiled as the ogre's eyes opened wide and he turned to see Kuja's energy blast impact his face, then continue on.  Deke looked at the headless body and laughed.  "Now isn't the time to lose your head.  Wait, maybe you were to headstrong.  You'll never get ahead that way."  He ducked as an ogre swung an axe at him.  "Everyone's a critic," he chucked before heading back to the battle.


	13. Canto 1 : Verse 13 : Salvation

**_The Song of Eternity_**

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**_Canto 1_**

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**_Parm:  The Forsaken Realm_**

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**_Verse 13_**

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**_Salvation_**

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**_Those destined to meet in battle clash,_**

**_Given hope and a chance by others' actions._**

**_They call upon their power,_**

**_To battle the tyrant,_**

**_And go home._**

****

            Amarant, Cid, Lani, and Jack stood facing the oncoming force of Ashura's desert forces.  "Charge!"  Cid shouted as they led the attack against Ashura's main forces.  They became separated as they fought their way through the enemy and their own forces joined in.  None of them had seen Deklin, but it was reported that he went to the armory earlier in the day.  Eiko and Pearl were hanging back, casting as much curative magic as they could on the front lines, hoping it would be enough.  The dwarves and Deke were quickly advancing through the ogre forces.  Suddenly the undead army burst into flames, and chaos reigned.

            Amarant quickly dodged an attack by a mercenary as he noticed the fire to his side.  He swung his claw, ripping into his opponent as he pondered the situation.  "Kuja or Deklin," he said to himself as he swung at another opponent.  He found himself caught with an opponent to each side, and eyed them warily as they prepared to strike.  

            Suddenly an axe came crashing out of the sky, taking out one of the soldiers.  Amarant took advantage and killed the second one quickly.  He frowned as he looked behind the soldier the axe killed and saw Lani grinning as she pulled the axe out.  "You owe me one," she smiled as she swung the axe, keeping the enemy a respectable distance away.  "We need to press the attack, most of our soldiers have little experience.  We need to form a wedge and start cutting through so we can separate the enemy."

            "I could have handled that myself," Amarant grunted as he swung his claw with force, taking down a pair of enemies.  "Any idea why the fire stopped?"

            Lani glanced over to where the thick smoke obscured the view of where Kuja was battling.  "Nope.  I give up on trying to watch after magic users.  It's better to just concentrate on what you can do in the here and now," she commented as she swung at another soldier.  "What was the deal with you when I told everyone my name anyway?"  She questioned him as they continued to fight forward, through the troops.

            "I never knew you were Toma's daughter.  I can see the resemblance now," he explained as he heard something familiar in the area where Kuja was.  "Down!"  He shouted as he dove and tackled Lani, keeping both of them close to the ground.  They both looked up as a blast of energy ripped across the battlefield, vaporizing parts of soldiers and continuing on.  

            "What the hell was that?"  Lani shouted as they both regained their feet.  There was an area of fallen bodies across the entire battlefield, hundreds hurt or killed by Kuja's blast.

            "Looked like a Starlight Blast, but that's impossible, it came from the wrong direction," Amarant explained.  He saw the blank look on Lani's face, then continued.  "I'll explain later, but your brother-in-law is supposed to be the only one who can do that."

            "What brother-in-law?  What are you talking about Amarant?"  She shouted angrily as she got back to chopping down the stunned enemies.

            "Later.  Ashura is up there, I can see him.  Signal the others," Amarant ordered as he went ahead into the battle, leaving Lani to raise the signal flag.

            Cid frowned as he stood back to back with Jack.  They had ogres closing in on one side and desert warriors on the other.  "Any ideas?"  Cid asked, hoping the thief had some trick up his sleeve.  

            Jack laughed when he spoke.  "I thought you didn't like me Cid."

            "I don't, but we are stuck together it seems," Cid replied.

            "Wait a minute, check it out, the signal," Jack exclaimed as he pointed across the battle field.  "How are we supposed to get over there?"  He asked Cid as he looked over the soldiers in the way.

            "I guess we have  to fight our way over," Cid reasoned as he held the ogres back at sword length.

             "No, I'm supposed to get you over there.  Now hold on," Deklin spoke as he appeared beside them.  He reached out and grabbed them before they could react, as a cloud of smoke surrounded them and they all disappeared.

            They reappeared a second later beside Amarant, Lani, Eiko, and Pearl.  "Give us a hand here!"  Amarant shouted as he grappled with an abnormally large desert warrior.  

            "The old royal guards, supposedly the best fighters in the desert a decade ago," Jack explained as he Cid and Deklin rushed into the fray.  Several dozen sword strokes later and nothing stood between the seven heroes and Ashura but ten feet of open ground.

            Ashura stood there, prepared for the battle.  He wore no armor, but had an enormous sword in each of his four arms and looked ready for battle.  "Where are the others?"  Eiko asked as she got ready to cast a spell.  

            Deklin shook his head.  "Not coming.  Kuja's down after that energy blast.  Deke is surrounded by ogres and I'm afraid if I try to pop in I'll get hit by him or the ogres.  We're on our own."

            "I tire of your chatter, time to begin," Ashura growled as he advanced on the heroes.  He grinned a sharp toothed grin as he swung a sword, scattering the seven.  He continued to press the attack, sending everyone but Amarant flying backwards.  Amarant swung his claw, ripping into Ashura's abdomen, spraying blood all over.  Ashura ignored the blow as it already was healing.  He swung his arm back, sending Amarant backwards landing in a bloody heap.  "Fools, you can't stop me," Ashura gloated.

            Eiko rushed over to Amarant quickly and began to heal him.  "He'll live, but I'll need to work on him for a while," she assured the others.

            Deklin stood in front of Ashura, trying to figure out how to stop him.  "Flare!"  He screamed as he bought some time by igniting Ashura's flesh.  "How do we stop him?"  Deklin asked the others as Ashura slowly got to his feet.

            Eiko leaned down to Amarant's face as he tried to speak.  "He says get all the crystal pieces close to Ashura.  He's using his pieces to regenerate, if we get them close enough they should put themselves together and end this."

            "On three," Cid ordered as they all got ready to rush the monster.  "One," he counted as Ashura finally got back to his feet, completely healed, but weaponless.  "Two," he continued as Deklin disappeared.  "Three," he shouted as he and the others ran at Ashura.  Eiko grabbed the pendant off of Amarant before she rushed in.  Ashura laughed as the they struck at him, not grasping their plan until Deklin arrived with Kuja.

            "What…?"  He muttered to himself as he felt his power start to leave him.  The assorted rings and pendants all began to glow, covering them in the midst of combat.  

            Kuja opened his eyes, becoming conscious again.  "It needs power….," he muttered before passing out again.

            "Power…"  Deklin closed his eyes and concentrated, focusing all his power on pouring pure mana into the gems and the glow surrounding them.  Suddenly the glow expanded, covering the battlefield and growing larger.  It kept growing as Deklin continued to pour more power into the glow.  Finally the glow began to fade.  And with it went the most of the people it covered.  Jack and Pearl were left on the desolate battlefield with a tenth of the soldiers that started the battle.  Everyone else was gone.


	14. Canto 1 : Parm, The Forsaken Realm : Sum...

The Song of Eternity  
  
Canto 1  
  
Parm : The Forsaken Realm  
  
  
  
Here I've compiled all the verses from this canto, feel free to read them at your leisure. For those of you that don't want to read this canto, meaning you want to pick it up in canto 2 or later, I will summarize this canto to save you time.  
  
Characters: Eiko- Transported from Gaia to Parm six years ago, horn disappeared along with powers upon arrival. Amarant- Transported from Gaia to Parm after Eiko disappeared. Transformed into a wereman due to interdimensional forces, made normal again when Eiko regained her powers. Past knowledge of Lani and Deke implied. Lani- Transported from Gaia to Parm after Amarant disappeared. Implied past with Amarant and Deke. Deke (Travis Starmore)- Amnesiac, but a great fighter. Amarant knows him from Danguerro. He has a metal right arm (half). Deklin (Vivi)- Lost memory when transported to Parm before Amarant. Trained as assassin by Ashura. Recovered memory and power soon after stealing Pearl's pendant. Kuja- Somehow trapped in a statue in a necromancer's castle. Freed by Deklin and Eiko. More powerful than ever. Jack- Deposed monarch of the desert people. Now a thief, waiting for his chance to kill Ashura. Pearl- Princess of Haven, the main opposition to Ashura. Cid- Leader of the knights of Avalon. Opposed Ashura. Ashura- Huge monster. Ten feet tall, 4 arms, regenerates at an alarming rate due to possession of the world's crystal pieces. Killed Jack's family.  
  
  
  
Crystal shards- Pieces of the 'soul' of the world. Cause of changes to people as they enter the dimension. Now they are set as stones in many pieces of jewelry, not knowing what they are. Can cause unexpected power, or the access of power from another world.  
  
  
  
Plot- Jack and Deklin rob Pearl, causing everybody to end up at Ashura's tower, which collapses, scattering everyone. Ashura is nearly indestructible due to his possession of many of the world's crystal shards. They all make it back to Haven and gather to face Ashura's army. Deke and the dwarves battle the ogres, while Kuja and Deklin burn the undead to ashes. Kuja lets a blast go across the battlefield and passes out. They begin the battle against Ashura, minus Kuja and Deke. He proves to be too strong. Amarant tells them to try to get all the shards close together in order to make them fuse again. They do, along with Deklin/Vivi pumping mana/energy into the ensuing energy field. The result is that everyone not from Parm disappears.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Upon the fall of the enemy, The hopes of worlds will be needed elsewhere. Others will come to fill the void, To leave their own, To save the weak, Their destiny will unfold before them.  
  
The princess stands face to face with the usurper, All is calm until he tries to gain the power. The protector comes and secures survival for a little longer, Only to be in danger again, When the thieves are called.  
  
The ones shrouded in darkness, Given their mission, Meet with one of their own, And are given the means to finish their mission. They both hold secrets, But only one knows his.  
  
The players gather, With the world on the line. One almost remembers the truth, Another already knows it, One suspects it, While the one is drawn into battle.  
  
The prize streaks away from safety, Everything swings close to Armageddon. The plan is scrapped, As one regains what was once lost, Not knowing what he is doing.  
  
They fled from town, Heading to their dark master, The truth, so close, But still out of reach.  
  
On the roof of the world, They gathered with everything at stake. Not strong enough to win, Strong enough to survive.  
  
Abandoned by their allies, Captured by the enemy, His strength shows, And they escape to the haven.  
  
Saved by his remembered power, Sent through the void to the land of the dead. One, realizing his mistakes, Another, trying to find the truth, And the third, waiting for his own salvation.  
  
Drawn together again back in the free land, They gather and relive the past.  
  
On the eve of destruction., Destiny shares a conversation. On the day of fire., True power is let free.  
  
Those destined to meet in battle clash, Given hope and a chance by others' actions. They call upon their power, To battle the tyrant, And go home. 


	15. Canto 2 : Verse 1 : Captured

**_The Song of Eternity_**

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**_Canto 2 : Gaia_**

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**_Verse 1_**

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**_Captured_**

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**_Returned to what they once left,_**

**_The daughter returns home,_**

**_To find the truth about her brother,_**

**_Too late to save him._**

****

            "What just happened?"  Lani looked around the grassland confused, talking to Amarant.  

            "Looks like we're back on Gaia," Amarant reasoned as he studied the landscape and sky.  "Near Danguerro by the looks of it," he continued as he squinted at the mountain in the distance.

            "Great, back home," Lani added sarcastically as Amarant began to walk towards the city.  "Hey, wait up!" she shouted as she hurried to catch up to him.  After walking for half an hour they came to the entrance of the city.  "What the hell happened here?"  Lani asked out loud as she noticed the changes in the city.

            "This is new to me too," Amarant frowned as he stared up at the huge metal gates.  "It's like a fortress," he muttered as he walked up to the closed gate and shouted.  "Open up!"

            There was a sound from within the city gates and they opened a crack to admit the visitors.  As they entered the city, they were stopped by half a dozen guards.  "Who are you and what business do you have here?" the leader asked them.

            Amarant frowned as he spoke to the guards.  "Amarant Coral.  I want to see Shinji," he finished as some of the guards whispered to each other.

            "Lani Shinji.  I guess I'm here to see my father," she frowned as she looked at Amarant.

            The guards looked at them for a second then conversed among themselves.  Finally, the leader spoke to Amarant and Lani. "You look like them, but you disappeared six years ago.  We are going to get Mayor Shinji, he will be able to tell if you are who you say you are."  The guards then took their swords and kept them ready in case Amarant and Lani tried anything.

            "Take it easy boys, you wouldn't want to hurt yourselves," Amarant chuckled at the guards.  He sighed and rested his back against wall of a nearby building.  "Better get comfortable, probably gonna take his a couple minutes," Amarant suggested to Lani.

            "I know how long it will take him," Lani said angrily, then sat down on the ground.  "What happened here anyway?  Why is my dad the mayor?"  She looked to Amarant for an answer.  Amarant just looked off into space and shrugged.  A couple of minutes passed, so Lani stood up to stretch.  "What were you talking about on Parm, something about my brother-in-law?  I don't even have a brother-in-law."

            "I was just guessing about that.  Your dad should b able to confirm it.  Here he comes," Amarant pointed as an older man stopped to talk to the guards.  The guards all saluted and went on their way as the man came over to talk to them.  He was about five and a half feet tell with grey hair.  "Hello again Ikari," Amarant greeted the man.

            "Ummmm, hi dad…" Lani said uncomfortably.

            Amarant and Lani suddenly found themselves being hugged by the old man.  He wiped the tears from his eyes as he let them go and motioned for them to follow him.  "It's good to see you two again," he commented as he led them into the city.  "Even you Lani, it's been over a decade," he continued as he opened the door to a house and motioned them in.  He took a seat by the fire as Lani spoke.

            "You kept the old house after mom died?"  She asked her father as she looked around the house.

            "Help yourselves if you are hungry, we might be here a while," he gestured to Lani in the direction of the kitchen.

            "Talk first, food later," Amarant overrode him.  "Sit down Lani," he ordered as an angry Lani came in to the room and took a seat.  "What has happened here?  The city looks like a fortress."

            "That'll happen when you're in a war.  I'll explain, but where have you been?" he asked as he threw another log on the fire.

            "Simply put, we got stuck on another world with some others from here.  There were about half a dozen of us," Amarant explained.  "We got back just now, we don't even know if any of the others made it."  Amarant paused, then continued speaking.  "Where is Starmore?  I think it was him, but he had lost his memory, so there was no way to tell," Amarant finished and noted the surprised look on Toma Shinji's face.

            "That's very strange….  I guess it might be possible.  It might be good that he doesn't remember anything anyway," Shinji said thoughtfully.  

            Lani sat there with a blank look on her face.  "Ummm, anyone want to explain what is so special about the guy with the metal arm?"  She questioned both of them, noticing her father's face twist into concern.

            "Metal arm?"  He said out loud.

            "Yeah, no idea where it came from.  It has some stuff written on it too," Amarant explained.  "I'll tell you everything I know about him," Amarant said as Toma nodded in agreement.  "The man with the metal arm is called Travis Starmore on this world.  He showed up here in Danguerro a year before I disappeared.  I found him and his brother out on the plateau fighting grand dragons.  They found a pair of swords on some people who didn't fare to well against the dragons and were holding their own.  I was about to help them when they hit trance, so I stood back to watch.  His brother's trance hit first.  This red glow covered both of them.  A dragon hit them before they could move, but they got up from it like nothing happened.  When they attacked the dragon, they were moving incredibly fast and started ripping through the dragons like it was no big thing.  Then things got really weird when Travis used his trance.  His body turned all black, then white lights erupted from his skin, ripping right through all the dragons near them.  When the dragons were dead and the trances wore off, I went to go check on them.  His brother, Nathan, was no worse for wear, but Travis was a bloody mess.  They weren't wounds from dragons either, it looked like his trance had taken out hundreds of small chunks of his flesh."

            Amarant took a deep breath, then continued.  "Nathan and I talked as we carried him to the city.  He explained that they came from a world called Earth and that a wormhole had opened up and brought them here.  Besides that, he had no idea about the trances that he and his brother had used," Amarant stopped and watched the fire for a few seconds.  "So I brought them here, your father owed me one.  He was up on his feet again in a couple days, he has a really good regeneration system.  I left them here and went to Lindbulm and Alexandria for a couple months."

            "While he was gone, the boys stayed here with me," Toma continued.  "After a week or so I heard them having a big fight, but couldn't make out the words.  This was just when the monster attacks were starting to get really bad.  One day the scout patrols came back with disturbing news, there were grand dragons headed here, far too many for us to stop.  They arrived near twilight, the time of the day when it isn't quite night, but it definitely isn't daytime.  I was in the city, manning a crossbow to shoot them when they got close enough.  When they were a hundred feet from the town they stopped.  A huge fire started in front of the dragons, not hurting them, but illuminating them and two figures in front of them.  I could only see from a distance, but the two figures dispatched the dragons quickly, using a mixture of steel and magic before disappearing."

            "The next day Travis and Nathan moved out, they rented another place, but still came over to see me and repair their weapons in the forge," he gestured towards the basement.  "It went on like that for a while, monsters showing up, and the two guardian angels fighting them off and disappearing.  Finally Amarant came back to town a month before he disappeared," he gestured for Amarant to continue.

            "I'd been going around helping people with their defenses at Zidane's request.  We had no idea where the monsters were coming from.  Sorry if I'm repeating things, but I have no idea when you left Gaia," he directed the comment at Lani.  She shook he head and motioned for him to continue.  "Anyway, I showed up here and saw the 'guardian angels' fight and knew the style and recognized and energy blast as belonging to the Starmores.  I went and talked to them the next day.  Nathan answered the door and let me in.  Travis was laying on the couch all bandaged up, like when I first helped him.  That confirmed what I thought so I told them I knew and they asked me to keep it a secret.  They told me they had it covered here, that they could handle the monsters.  And that's really the last thing that happened before I went to Parm," he finished.

            "Not long after you left, things got weird," Toma continued the tale.  "The monster attacks stopped and everything was calm for a while.  Then a gigantic floating city appeared in the ocean.  Everyone tried to get near it, but it would disappear or fire warning shots if people got too close.  By this time Nathan wanted to move to Lindbulm, so he and Travis asked me to watch over their house while Travis helped him move.  I asked Travis to pick up your sister Fiona and escort her home after he was done," he explained to Lani.  "The trip out was uneventful, Nathan got settled in, Travis found Fiona, and they set out.  A couple days into their trip back, we were attacked," he stopped for a second, remembering the day.

            "Who was attacked?"  Amarant asked him.

            "Everyone," he responded.  "The city, according to my knowledge and what I was told, was the failsafe for Terra.  It was stored in between worlds so it escaped when Kuja destroyed Terra.  It is full of genomes and has the technology to implant the consciousnesses of the Terrans into their bodies.  And it had the WEAPONs.  Alpha, Shadow, Sandbeast, Cloudchaser, 3 minor ones, and the one that was destroyed before it was given a name.  8 huge mechanical monsters, implanted with the minds of the greatest warriors of the Terran race and the sole purpose of enslaving us."

            "Anyway, the cities were attacked by WEAPONs when Travis and Fiona were on their way back here.  They only sent one to each of the cities, Alpha to Lindbulm, Sandbeast to Alexandria, Cloudchaser to Burmecia, Shadow to the Black Mage Village, and the other one we assume was headed here.  It was rough, but all the cities survived and drove off the WEAPONs with help from the mages, Queen Garnet, Nathan, and others.  The one that was headed here was ripping up the countryside and came across Travis and Fiona on the way back and decided to try to kill them."

            "Fiona told me about it when she got back, so this is as good as I can describe it.  Travis saw the WEAPON coming and had her get out of the way when the WEAPON landed.  Once it had landed Travis had his sword out and was charging.  She said he kept fighting the WEAPON, holding his own for about ten minutes before the WEAPON knocked him back near her and he could barely get up.  She tried to help him, but he told her to stay back.  She was up close when he unleashed his 'Starlight Blast'.  She said his body got all black, like space itself.  Then thousand of small pinpoints of light streaked out from his body and blasted into the WEAPON, eventually killing it."

            "He was a mess afterwards," Toma continued.  "She found a chocobo and got him here by riding two days straight.  He was caked in his own blood, but his wounds were all closed.  She said he made her stop after a couple hours when he had woken up.  He made her turn away as he heated his dagger over a fire and used it to cauterize the wounds.  It wasn't pretty, but it kept him alive until she got him here.  He slept here for a nearly a week before getting up.  She and I kept watch over him for all the time he was here.  When he woke up he went back to his place and we didn't see him for a bit."

            "There was no sign of him for two weeks, he didn't come out and he didn't answer the door.  There was another monster attack, it seems that the Terrans were controlling them.  Anyway, the Alpha WEAPON was with them this time," Toma's voice cracked when he said Alpha.  "Travis battled the WEAPON while killing as many monsters as he could at the same time.  Eventually the WEAPON saw what he was doing and ordered the monsters to fall back.  They both eyed each other up for a while, then they started to battle.  Travis held his own for a while, then unleashed another Starlight blast, wounding the WEAPON, making it retreat.  He stumbled back to the city, bloody and battered, but alive.  We took him under our care again, treating his wounds and the poison that was introduced into his system during the battle."

            "The WEAPONs and monsters kept attacking us for the next two months.  No help arrived.  Travis had to fight them off himself.  Barely able to walk most of the time, his wounds never healed until a dozen black mages and genomes arrived to aid us.  We had to carry him out to the battlefield some of the time.  Most of the time when he wasn't fighting he was unconscious, or trying to stay awake, lest he would die," Toma wiped a tear from his eye as he thought of the events.  

            "It turns out Nathan hooked up with Zidane and the others.  The mages and genomes had scattered across the continents to help defend the cities with their magic.  Nathan came to see him a little later.  Travis told his he would help if they truly needed it, but he was needed in Danguerro most of the time.  They parted on good terms and the skirmishes with the WEAPONs and monster slowed down, but went on for another year."

            "Can you get me a glass of water?"  He coughed to Lani.  She nodded and got up to get the glass.  When she returned, Toma took the glass and drank it down.  "Where was I?  Oh, yes.  Travis protected the city for the next year and a half, until he left.  Before he left, he and Fiona grew close, got married and had a baby boy.  Fiona was really the only one he felt comfortable with.  He was very uneasy about his powers.  Things started to heat up again, and Nathan sent word that most of the WEAPONs were gathering to attack Alexandria.  Travis knew he was needed so he left to join the battle.  That was the last I saw of him, but I can tell you what I heard from others.  All but the three minor WEAPONs were there along with their monster army.  There were heavy casualties on each side.  Shadow and Cloudchaser were the only ones that survived.  But we had losses too.  Fratley, Zidane, and Steiner were all lost in the battle.  Travis battled Alpha the entire time in the sky.  From what I heard, he unleashed a Starlight Blast, then attacked again, causing a black energy explosion in the sky which vaporized the pair of them."

            "Where's Fiona and the kid?  Can't I see my nephew?"  Lani asked before her father burst into tears.  "Are you okay dad?"  She asked him as she gave him a hug.

            "I'll be fine," he said as he cleared his throat.  "When Travis was gone, the three minor WEAPONs attacked here.  They were weaker than normal WEAPONs, but we never stood a chance.  They came here looking to occupy Travis while the battle started.  When he wasn't here, they attacked the city.  Fiona tried to stop them, Travis had taught her some magic, but it was no use.  They killed her and the baby."

            "That's horrible," Lani said shocked as she sat down in her chair.  "Where are the WEAPONs now?"

            "Probably at the city."

            "Stay put Lani," Amarant commanded as he grabbed her shoulder and held her in her chair.  "We'll get our revenge, but we are going to need help.  Travis should have came back when we did.  He was on the other world, I knew it for sure when he recognized Lani last name."

            "You mean Deke's my brother-in-law?"

            "Yes, we need to contact whoever else is left to resist Terra.  Can you help?"  Amarant asked Toma.

            "Sure, that was three years ago when we lost the battle, but Nathan and some others have gone underground since then, using guerrilla tactics.  Head to the Treno auction house.  But first follow me.  These are the last things Travis worked on before he left, I just finished them," he ordered as he headed to the basement.           

            "I want those WEAPONs Amarant," Lani said as she followed her father.

            "We'll get them.  But we need to find Starmore," Amarant assured her as they went into the basement.

            Deke fell to the ground and hit hard.  "Ouch," he grunted as he pulled himself to his feet.  The last thing he knew he was fighting ogres back on Parm, and now he was in a huge metallic city.  "What in the hell?"  He looked around and sheathed his sword, not wanting to alarm whoever lived here.  "Anybody home!"  He shouted, hoping for an answer, but then instantly sorry that he got one.  He looked up and saw an enormous metal monster turn the corner and look down on him.  "Ummm, I come in peace?"

            "Scanning target," a voice came from the metal monster.  "Target recognized, designate Travis Starmore, considered extremely dangerous.  Deploy city defense system."       

            "City defense system?"  Deke said out loud before a dozen energy beam popped out of the ground and buildings and blasted him into unconsciousness. 


	16. Canto 2 : Verse 2 : Helpless

**_The Song of Eternity_**

****

**_Canto 2 : Gaia_**

****

**_Verse 2_**

****

**_Helpless_**

****

**_The destroyer returned to the land full of his enemies,_**

**_Unable to defend himself,_**

**_Taken in by those who would kill him,_**

**_If not for one._**

****

            There was a large commotion in the Treno auction house.  Once the current auction ended, the ushers moved the buyers to the exit and ushered them out of the building.  Once they were out, the door was locked and barred.  "What do you mean, you found him?"  The voice came from a man standing about six feet tall, with dark red hair, obviously the other Starmore.  "People don't just appear in this building, we've seen to that with the mages," he said angrily to the person next to him.

            "All I can tell you is one minute that balcony was empty and when I turned back, there he was," his companion explained.  Her tail twitched in annoyance at Nathan.  Mikoto looked at him seriously and continued talking.  "We should kill him, if he's here, Garland probably sent him."

            "Great, which means they know where we are.  Except for that it makes no sense because if they knew where we were, this place would be crawling with WEAPONs.  Take me to him, I'll figure something out," he sighed as he followed Mikoto to the stairs.  Mikoto gestured for him to go forward onto the small balcony to examine the person there.  "So this I him?"  He said out loud as he examined the body.  "His breathing is weak…  What's this…?"  He muttered to himself as he examined a wound that that was seeping blood.  Nathan's face got white as he got back to his feet and talked to Mikoto.  "Try to use a cure spell on him," he ordered her.

            She shot an angry look at Nathan, but created the green light that washed over Kuja's body.  "Not working on him.  Good.  Saves me the trouble of having to kill you, Kuja," she angrily shouted at the body.  Nathan grabbed her by the shoulders and walked her down the stairs to the lobby.

            "Those wounds…  I haven't seen them for years," Nathan said with a puzzled look on his face.  "Get a doctor and someone who can use curaga, I want him on his feet in an hour," he ordered, causing many of the people in the lobby to scurry about.

            "What are you thinking?  He is a monster!"  Mikoto shouted at Nathan.  

            "I do not care Mikoto, if he is a spy, you can kill him.  But I want to know where he has been and more importantly, why he has those injuries," he stopped talking as he noted the strange look on her face.  "The wounds…, Travis got ones like that whenever he used a Starlight Blast."-

            Mikoto stared at Kuja as the doctor tried to wake him up with smelling salts.  Finally he opened his eyes and looked around the room dazed.  "Where am I?" he whispered, trying to regain his strength.  He looked around the dark auction house, finally noticing and recognizing Mikoto.  "What's going on?" he asked as the doctor injected some painkillers into his arm.

            "You tell me.  We found you up there in the balcony like this.  Everyone thought you were dead for the past decade.  Where were you?"  She asked him angrily, before Nathan came into the room and calmed her down.

            "I must apologize for her, she doesn't seem to regard you with fondness.  But I want to know where you have been as well as how you got here," he asked Kuja.

            "In a statue… on Parm…," Kuja muttered before closing his eyes and falling silent.  

            "Someone find out where Parm is," he shouted to no one in particular.  "And you got here how?"

            Kuja opened his eyes slowly before speaking.  "We were fighting Ashura, then the mage did something…that's all I remember," he shook his head before blinking hard.  "There were the two kids, the bounty hunters, and the metal man," he slurred his words as he started to fall asleep.

            "He needs to rest or he might die," the doctor warned Nathan.

            "One more question.  The wounds, how did you get them?"  Nathan said calmly as he stood next to Kuja.

            "Starlight……," Kuja whispered before he passed out and the doctor took him away.

            "Okay people, get back to work.  See what you can find out about Parm and keep a lookout for people that are supposed to be dead, like him," he gestured at Kuja.  Finally he turned to Mikoto.  "We need answers from him, no killing him, please.  If nothing else, he might be able to use Starlight Blasts, which would aid us greatly."  He stopped talking as Mikoto stared at him with eyes full anger.  "Guess I'm sleeping on the couch," he muttered before walking away to get back to work.**__**


	17. Canto 2 : Verse 3 : Dead?

**_The Song of Eternity_**

****

**_Canto 2 : Gaia_**

****

**_Verse 3_**

****

**_Dead?_**

****

**_Back in the land where the wheels were set in motion,_**

**_Long thought dead,_**

**_Gazing upon their own memorials,_**

**_Surprised by a ghost from the past._**

****

            Eiko stopped for a moment to catch her breath before she entered Alexandria.  She had been walking for the past day ever since she returned to Gaia.  "Been a long time," she whispered as she entered the city and headed towards the castle.  As she walked, she thought back to what happened when she left Parm.  

            "It needs more power," she heard Deklin speak quietly as the soft glow covered all of them.  She tried to keep an eye on Deklin, but was occupied with frantic attack on Ashura.  She, Amarant, and the others were frantically trying to subdue the monster while staying in close contact long enough for the crystal shards to do their thing.  Once they were all close to him at the same time, the crystals in their jewelry started to glow, bathing them all in a light, but not doing anything.  

            She felt the light gaining substance, slowing her down.  She looked over and saw Deklin sweating, feeding mana into the pendant he stole from Pearl.  The light gained enough substance that she and the others finally stopped moving.  She watched as Deklin continued to feed mana into the crystal until she was blinded by white light and had to close her eyes.  

            When she opened them, it was dark.  She recognized the place as the void between worlds.  She could hear a sort of music, triumphant for most of it, but them extremely sad as she emerged from the void and landed on the ground near a forest.  She couldn't remember the words, but understood what it meant.  It spoke of someone returning and causing great joy at the cost of his own happiness.  

            After she gathered her bearings, finding she was alone she started walking until she recognized where she was and made her way to Alexandria.  

            She allowed herself to smile as she walked toward the castle, she was home again.  Her pace slowed as she began to notice several things.  The city itself was dirty.  It looked like it had been through a war and no one bothered to rebuild it properly, there were rocks laying everywhere.  She did not spot any knights or city guards either.  Before she got to the castle, she stopped when she heard a noise in a grove of trees.

            She followed a small worn path to a clearing with six gravestones arranged in it.  She studied the three that looked older and saw herself, Vivi, and Amarant's names.  She laughed a little when she realized that they were all alive and well and that everyone had considered them dead.  She stopped laughing as she saw the names on the three other stones.  Travis Starmore.  Albert Steiner.  Zidane Tribal.  She whirled around with tears in her eyes only to see a blurry figure standing there.  She sniffed and blinked her eyes to clear her vision and recognized the figure.

            "Vivi…I mean Deklin," she cried out as she embraced his surprised form.  "What happened here?"  She looked up and asked him as he held her close until she stopped sobbing.  

            "I've been here since yesterday.  As near as I can figure from talking to the townsfolk, there was a war.  We lost.  Garland and the Terrans are here somewhere.  Something about a floating city.  We need to get out of here, the city is occupied, don't trust any genomes you see, they are Terrans," Deklin explained.

            "Where will we go?"

            "Treno or Danguerro, you will be safe there," came a familiar voice from the path.  Garnet stepped into the clearing quickly, checking behind her as she talked.  "They will discover me missing soon, you need to leave.  You are in danger here."

            "Thank you for your help," Deklin said before nodding and heading out the path.

            "Dagger?  How did you find us here?"  Eiko asked as she gave her old friend a hug.

            "Vivi found me yesterday, I was going to meet him here now.  You're lucky you showed up when you did," she stopped talking as Deklin came back down the path.

            "Guards coming. We have no more time," he said with urgency.

            "Hurry, Treno auction house, find Nathan and Mikoto," Garnet said as Deklin grabbed Eiko and the both disappeared in a puff of smoke.


	18. Canto 2 : Verse 4 : Hostage

**_The Song of Eternity_**

****

**_Canto 2 : Gaia_**

****

**_Verse 4_**

****

**_Hostage_**

****

**_Helpless in the land of his greatest enemy,_**

**_Alive because of the evil of one man,_**

**_He is used to tempt the hope of the world._**

****

            "We need to get headed out of this city in case the guards get suspicious," Deklin explained as Eiko caught her breath in the alley after they reappeared.  He kept a lookout on the entrance to the alley, making sure no one had spotted them while Eiko gathered her bearings.

            "Did you hear it?"  She asked him as she finally started shaking out the cobwebs.

            "Ever since we discovered how to do this, we learned to tune it out.  It can drive you mad if you aren't careful," he explained as he led her by the hand out of the alley.  "We never could understand what it says anyway.  Why?  Did you understand it?" he questioned her as he led her out of the city.

            "Someone is being held, being used to trick good people.  That's all I could get from it," she explained as they came to the marketplace near the front gate of town.  "Why don't you just, you know…."

            "Because any further use of my 'skills' might alert certain undesirable persons to our location.  Besides, we're almost out," he explained as they neared the gate.  Suddenly a light appeared on the wall of a large building on the edge of the market.  Everyone grew silent as the light changed into a picture and came into focus.

            "What are you trying to show us Toma?"  Amarant questioned the old man as he led them into the basement.  

            "Patience, Amarant.  That always was your problem, never willing to wait for something that is worth it," the old man laughed as he lit several torches on the wall, revealing a forge used to make weapons and a wall with a dozen dusty weapons on it.  "No other living beings know of this.  Travis, Fiona, and I were working on it before she died and he left," he explained as he walked over to the wall and pulled down a metal claw.

            "Travis discovered something amazing.  As he became more in tune with his power and grasp of magic, he found a skill only he could do.  He did it one day under extreme circumstance when fighting the Alpha WEAPON," Toma explained as he thought back to the day.  "He somehow enhanced his speed and strength with a burst of energy.  To make a long story short, he isolated eleven other abilities just like the one he used.  Only problem was that he could not teach them to anyone or embed them in a weapon like most skills.  He also found that if he used all 12 at once, it would come close to killing him or anyone.  He finally reasoned that only he could use the skills.  One night he was down here fixing his sword and cut himself on it.  That was when he understood.  The weapons needed to be tempered in his blood to acquire the skills," he finished as he noticed the horrified look on Lani's face.

            "Oh, he never ran himself through with them or anything, if that's what you're thinking.  He just made some little cuts and bled a lot.  He only finished his own sword when he was still here.  After he left, I decided to carry on.  You'd be surprised at how much he bled around here, with all the fighting and whatnot.  There was enough for me to finish these, they all have the skill.  He called it the X skill," Toma stopped talking as he heard a commotion above them in the house.

            "Mr. Shinji, they're broadcasting, you need to see this.  It's him!"  The leader of the town guards shouted as he ran down into the basement.

            "We have a transmission from the city, sir," a genome spoke as he came into the room where Nathan and Mikoto were sitting with Kuja.

            Nathan looked up at the genome annoyed.  "Can't it wait?  We were talking here," Nathan said, brushing off the genome.

            "What is it that is so important?"  Mikoto asked the genome.

            "Garland, the Alpha WEAPON, and someone who looks like his brother," the genome stopped talking as Nathan bolted upright and ran out of the room.  The main area of the Treno auction house was deserted again, with the exception of those working with Nathan.  There was a mage in the center of the room, using a spell to project the image that was being sent from the Terran city.

            Mikoto helped Kuja shuffle into the room as the image cleared up.  "The metal man," Kuja muttered as he noticed Deke.  Nathan turned and looked at him strangely, then diverted his attention back to the image.

            There were three beings in the image.  The first looked like a genome, except that it had whiter skin and had no hair.  Over the past few years they had learned the secrets of the Terrans and the genomes they brought with them.  The Terrans had learned how to transfer their consciousness to the body of a genome, it had an added side effect of making them resemble their old physical self.  The genome in question was the reincarnation of Garland.

            The second was a being that had not been seen on Gaia for the last three years.  It was the enormous dragon-like metal creature known as the Alpha WEAPON.  It had disappeared, presumed dead three years ago along with the third being in the image.  The third being in the picture caused Nathan's blood to run cold.  His brother was there, floating in the air in a sphere of energy.  There were numerous wounds all over his body and he did not appear to be conscious.

            "People of Gaia, I assume you all can see this, even the rebels, wherever they are," Garland spoke and his voice came from the image.  "Despite your best attempts, the Alpha WEAPON has returned and we are as strong as ever.  His return has brought and added bonus with it, your champion, Travis Starmore, is ours," he laughed as the image focused on Travis.  "He is being suspended in a sphere of electromagnetic energy, unable to move, even if he was able to, which he is not.  Sonic pulses are being sent at his arms and legs every 5 minutes, further shattering the places that we broke earlier.  He is drugged and poisoned, and will not wake up for four days, when we will execute him at sunrise.  That is unless I receive the unconditional surrender of the entire rebel force by sundown the day before.  You have my instructions," he finished as the image turned black.

            "This is a bad idea," the Alpha WEAPON spoke to Garland after they ended the transmission.

            "Your time away has changed you.  You forget who gives orders here Colin," Garland sneered with contempt at the WEAPON.

            "I am Alpha now," the WEAPON roared in anger.  "I spent years with him on Earth!  He is far too dangerous to leave alive.  This plan to lure the rebels here is poor logic.  We have the numbers and the power.  We do not need to do this."

            "Sure we do.  To see what his brother chooses.  His family, or this world.  It will be spectacular," Garland laughed as he left the room.

            "Starmore…  I want my glorious battle," Alpha spoke to the unresponsive man.  Travis did not respond.


	19. Canto 2 : Verse 5 : Couples

**_The Song of Eternity_**

**__**

**_Canto 2 : Gaia_**

**__**

**_Verse 5_**

**__**

**_Couples_**

**__**

**_They join to save their world,_**

**_Each realizing that they cannot save him,_**

**_Reconciling on the way._**

**__**

"Wait up!"Lani complained as she struggled with her pack, finally catching up to Amarant."Can you please walk slower," she pleaded, wiping the sweat from her forehead.

"Fine," Amarant conceded with a hint of annoyance.They had been traveling nonstop for the last day, hoping to make it to Treno in time to make a difference.Between the two of them they were carrying the twelve weapons that Toma had forged."We should make it to Treno later today.That will still leave us a couple days to figure out what to do?"Amarant reasoned out loud.

"What do you mean?What to do?We need to go save him, he's family," Lani stated plainly.Amarant did not respond, he just kept walking."He is a friend of yours as well, that has to mean something, even you can't be that cold," Lani shouted angrily before catching herself."I'm sorry," she apologized quickly as Amarant stopped walking.

"You think you know what is going on here?You are just like the rest of them.You have no idea about the truth," Amarant said with fire in his eyes."I am the only one left that knows what is happening, thanks to you!"He yelled at her before dropping his pack and sitting down to rest. "We'll rest here," he ordered as he pulled out a canteen.

"I'll never know what's going on if you don'ttell me.Is it about the monastery?"She asked him with concern, noting him cringe when she mentioned the monastery."What was so special that you did there?"She asked him as she took a seat on the grass.

"We studied the ancient texts.The prophecies of what was to come.The records of what was understood back when people here could understand the song," Amarant replied from memory."We prepared for the great conflict, knowing that we would have a part to play.We studied the legend of the one as well.The one who would change the world at the cost of himself."

"You spent all that time preparing for an apocalyptic battle foretold to you by the song from the void?"Lani asked him strangely, raising her eyebrow.Amarant nodded in response. "So, being the only one left, what do you think it means?"She asked him as she took a drink of water.

"I was not supposed to have read the scriptures, but I did anyway, before you arrived," Amarant explained."Then you arrived and we did our little stint and I got kicked out," he said bitterly before she interrupted him.

"Excuse me for being shipwrecked," she said angrily."I never forced you to go with me and marry me anyway!"She shouted angrily at Amarant.

"It's not your fault," Amarant shook his head."It was meant to happen in order to get me out of there before the plague hit.Anyway, you should give me a little respect since we never technically got divorced and you never told your father," he chuckled as he revealed the ring under his claw."Anyway, back to the song.I never truly understood anything that it said until after it happened.This is the conflict that my brotherhood was to prepare for, the battle with Garland.The one of legend, the one who is to die a thousand deaths, to lose everything that one can lose, to live in misery for a million years in the hope of finding peace, has to be Starmore.He is my brother as well, but I know what must be done.Or rather what must not be done, we are not going to save him from Garland," Amarant said decisively before lifting his pack and heading out.

"We'll camp here for the night and go to Treno tomorrow," Deklin said as he sat down on a stump near the edge of a forest.Eiko sat down beside him, shivering from the cold."You're cold," he stated, then placed his hands in front of him, creating a small, but warm floating ball of fire.He removed his hands and it stayed there floating in the air, warming the two of them.

"Thanks," she said to him as she warmed her hands near the ball of fire.

"No problem," Deklin responded before falling silent."Nothing like being back home again," he said with a sigh, picking up a rock and throwing it.

"You really think they're all dead?"She asked him, referring to Zidane and Steiner.

"Dagger said that they were, but who knows.No one else appears to be," he said angrily."Let's get up that tree so we can get some rest," he motioned at the large tree behind them.

"One float spell, coming up," Eiko nodded as the two of them lifted off the ground and settled into the branches.After they were settled in for a minute, Deklin made a hand motion and the fireball floated up to their position."So you worked out a lot of better magic before you left here?"

"Yeah, wasn't much else to do.We cracked the teleportation a little before you disappeared.We had a basic working understanding of how our magic worked before I left, but who knows what they can do now," his voice drifted off as he looked out into the night and fidgeted with his desert cloak from Parm.

"Vivi, what happened to you on Parm?"Eiko asked him, noticing a mix of anger and tears in his eyes.

"I don't want to be Vivi anymore, so please….stop," he said as the fireball glowed brighter for a second."I worked for Ashura.I killed for him," he stopped again, looking over his clothes.

"You want to talk about it, maybe get in touch with the old you.It'll make you feel better," she comforted him and held his hand.

"I don't think I can go back.It's like a part of me was lost when I remembered what I did.I just have to accept what I did.I'm still the same old guy, just a little more messed up," he joked, but didn't laugh.

Let's get some sleep, you'll feel better in the morning," Eiko said as she rested her head on his arm and closed her eyes."You think we'll be able to help Deke, or whatever his name is?"

"I don't know.If Zidane and them couldn't take the city with all the kingdoms helping, do we really have a chance on our own?"

"You need to have faith Deklin, you need to have faith in people," Eiko muttered before drifting off to sleep, leaving Deklin to ponder the situation.

Nathan sat in an old worn chair up in the balcony in the Treno auction house.He stared at the glass of wine in his hand.He saw movement in the glass, a reflection of someone behind him."What do you want?"He asked to whoever it was, not really caring.

"Just came to check on you," Mikoto responded.She walked around to stand in front of him and leaned back on the rail, looking into her husband's eyes."How are you holding up?" she asked him, trying to get a response.

"Super.I've been commanding a losing war for the last five years and I just found that my brother is alive, but in the one place where I can't save him," he stopped and took a sip of the wine to calm himself."Just great…"

"When are gonna go get him?"Mikoto asked, taking the wine away from Nathan."You drink too much of this," he scolded him.

"I drink just enough of this," he replied, taking the glass from her hand. "I already decided on what we are going to do anyway," he stated before downing the rest of the wine and throwing the glass to the ground, causing it to shatter."They want us to come, to attack in full force.They are going to pull back all the WEAPONs, along with the majority of their troops, to protect the city."

"Why would they do that?"Mikoto asked her husband.

"Because I know their plan," Nathan explained."We have two choices here.We can either save him or do nothing, at least that's what Garland thinks.If we try to save him, we will die.But if we mass our forces, prepare for the attack, their troops will fall back to prepare.Then we will take back the cities and hopefully raise a large enough armyto stop them from being retaken."

"But what about Travis?"

"I would give my life to save him, but it would take all of our lives and more to get him out of there," Nathan said calmly as he looked at his wife."We can't save him."

"So you are just going to let your brother die?"

"He would do the same thing," Nathan said before massaging his scalp."The only way he's gonna get out of there is if he does it himself.I contacted the elemental, it's going to try to revive him.But we are going to do nothing.There is nothing we can do," he finished before settling back into his chair, exhausted.


	20. Canto 2 : Verse 6 : Gathering

**_The Song of Eternity_**

****

**_Canto 2 : Gaia_**

****

**_Verse 6_**

****

**_Gathering_**

****

            Eiko pulled Deklin's dusty desert cloak tight around her body as they walked through the streets of Treno.  It was unseasonably cold for the time of the year.  "Are you sure you aren't cold?" she asked Deklin, looking at his sleeveless shirt from Parm..

            "I'm okay with it," he replied.  "I got used to it in the desert at night," he explained as they kept walking.  Deklin stopped at a restaurant a couple blocks away from the auction house.  "Want to grab some food?"

            "But we don't have any money," Eiko pointed out.

            "I killed some monsters last night when you were sleeping," he explained.  "Come on," he said as they walked into the restaurant, ordered and took a seat.

            "So you were awake last night?"  Eiko questioned Deklin who nodded.  "You gave me your cloak, went to kill monsters, and returned without waking me?"

            "Yes.  I was taught to be silent during my time in the desert," he explained with a hint of anger in his voice.  He fell silent again when their food, a pair of bowls of hot soup, arrived.

            After eating some of her soup, Eiko talked to Deklin some more.  "So what did you say to Dagger?"

            "Very little.  The guards almost caught me," he explained.  "I told her who I was, did al little magic and she believed me.  She told me to meet her where I found you the next day," he finished and got back to his soup.  "I don't want anyone else to know of my actions on Parm," he said quietly.

            "Fine, I can keep the secret," Eiko nodded understandingly.  "Do you want us to call you Vivi then?"

            Deklin shook his head.  "No.  I lived in this body as Deklin and I would prefer to continue to do so," he explained as his gaze shifted out the window.  "Let's go," he ordered quickly, dropping some gil on the table and rushing out the door, pulling Eiko along.  "Amarant!" he shouted at the crowd moving down the street.

            Amarant and Lani stopped and made their way back out of the crowd to greet Deklin and Eiko.  "Nice to see you among the living," Amarant greeted the pair.  
            "And among the free," Eiko added.

            "That's something we really can't get into around here," Lani said angrily, shifting the weight of the pack on her shoulders. 

            "What do you have there?"  Eiko asked, indicating the packs on their backs.  They walked over to the side of the street, out of the way of traffic and Amarant and Lani took the packs off.

            "A little present from a friend," Amarant smiled as he let them look into the bag at the weapons.  "A staff for you," he stated as he pulled out a reddish staff out of the bag.  "And for you?"  He directed the question at Deklin.

            "Got a shortsword?"

            "Here," he handed Deklin another reddish weapon.  

            "So, I assume we're here for the same reason," Deklin said as he motioned towards the auction house with his head.  "What's the deal with these things?" he asked about the weapons as they headed towards the auction house.

            "These were made by Deke's father-in-law using an unorthodox method.  Other parties need to be consulted before we can divulge the information," Amarant explained, avoiding the fact that the swords were tempered in human blood.  "They have a special skill built in that will increase your strength, speed, agility… everything."  Amarant turned and headed towards the auction house and tried to open the door, but to no avail, it did not budge.

            "Allow me," Deklin said as he pushed Amarant out of the way.  He took his fingers and traced along the doorframe, leaving a trail of glowing energy behind.  "Stand back," he ordered the others.  They all stood back from the door, waiting to see what Deklin was going to do.  Deklin raised his hands at the door, causing the energy to glow brighter.  Suddenly Deklin snapped his fingers, causing the energy to explode, sending the remains of the door topping inside the auction house.  

            "That was a bit much," Amarant commented as he stepped past the mage into the building.  As his eyes grew accustomed to the dimly lit room, he saw several people flee the room.  "Get in here quick, I think we spooked the people we were supposed to meet," Amarant ordered as the others cautiously made their way into the room.

            They made their way to the center of the room and put down their packs.  "I suppose this is my fault," Deklin joked as he searched for signs of life.

            "Yes it is," Amarant confirmed.  "Now put your weapons on the floor and stand still, this is a base.  We don't want to get hurt or killed," he ordered as he removed his metal claw and dropped it to the ground.  Deklin and the others did likewise.

            "So they have the presence of mind to drop their weapons, but still were dumb enough to break down the door," a voice came from above them in the darkness shrouded balcony.  "Who are you and why are you here?"

            "We were trapped in another dimension for the past six years.  I don't really look the same, but I'm Eiko Carol," Eiko explained to the darkness.

            "Lani Shinji," Lani said, getting annoyed with the questions.

            "Amarant Coral," Amarant said, holding back a chuckle.

            "Vivi, Deklin, whatever you want.  It's all the same to me," Deklin said, his eyes glowing bright in the darkness.

            "You are all supposed to be dead, how can we trust you?"

            "Enough of this.  Time is short," Amarant ordered.  "Stop fooling around Nathan.  You and Mikoto know it's us.  Deklin, lights," he commanded, causing Deklin to create a large glowing fireball, illuminating the room.  Mikoto and Nathan looked down on them from the balcony with angry looks.

            "Kill that light, mage," Nathan ordered.  "Someone board up the door and get the lights on!" he shouted as he left the balcony and Deklin let his light fade away.  Several people came from the back of the auction house and began to nail pieces of wood across the shattered doorframe.  Nathan emerged from the stairwell with Mikoto close behind.  "Nice entrance, trying to get us killed?" he scolded Deklin.

            "Take it easy, before I have to give you an attitude adjustment," Deklin said nonchalantly as he scooped his sword off the ground.

            "Boys, boys, can we take it down a notch here," Mikoto said, stepping between Nathan and Deklin.  "Same side here, remember that," she reminded her husband, pushing him away.

            "That was rude Deklin," Eiko scolded Deklin, pushing him a step back as well.

            "The weapons you four have, explain them now," Nathan ordered as he looked at the staff Eiko was holding.

            "We have these four," Amarant motioned at the weapons they were holding.  "And another eight in these packs.  They were made by Fiona's father, using a special technique," he explained, not getting into the specifics.

            "I've only seen one weapon like that.  They cannot be made, he disappeared," Nathan said.

            "There was enough blood left in Danguarro for Toma to make them," Amarant explained.

            "Wait a minute!  This red color is from blood?"  Eiko shouted as she dropped her staff.

            "Yes, the blood of Travis, left over from his time in Danguerro.  Now pick it up and use it, the blood was used to cool the metal, it isn't still there," Amarant explained.  "Each of the weapons has an X skill, the thing that let Travis increase his power.  It should help us in what we have to do in the next couple days."

            "You're free to join us in our attacks.  Come here, let me show you the maps," Nathan explained as he walked over to a wall and motioned them at a huge map of Gaia.  "We are noticeably building up our forces everywhere, preparing to act during the execution.  You can see where are forces are massing by the thumbtacks' locations."

            "Good…" Amarant and Deklin said quietly.

            "So you are going to let him die?"  Eiko looked at Nathan, wondering how he could be so cold to his brother.

            "It is a trap.  They expect us to try to save him.  I have someone helping him regain his senses now.  But we will not attack the city.  The WEAPONs have all withdrawn to the city.  He is the only one who can save himself now," Nathan said before looking away.

            "He has no memory of whatever power you and the others believe he possess," Lani explained.  "We should have family vote on this," she pleaded.

            "What family?  I am his only blood relative.  The only other family he has is Toma."

            "And myself, Fiona's sister!"  Lani exclaimed before Amarant placed his hands on her shoulders.

            "Toma agrees with this plan as well.  He would rather Travis die than learn about what happened to Fiona and Alek," Amarant countered.

            "We have no choice.  We had an army and we lost to the WEAPONs with him on our side.  Right now we do not have the means to attack the city.  Once we retake the other cities, we can raise an army and try to make them pay.  Once Kuja heals, he has said he will aid us.  Until then, we are on our own," he finished.  

            "Honey, you forgot to tell them Kuja was here," Mikoto informed her husband who was looking at the blank stares of Eiko and the others.


	21. Canto 2 : Verse 7 : Reclamation

**_The Song of Eternity_**

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**_Canto 2 : Gaia_**

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**_Verse 7_**

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**_Reclamation_**

****

**_They spread to the ends of the land,_**

**_To retake what was once theirs,_**

**_At the cost of the life of the one._**

****

            Eiko and Deklin materialized on the streets of Linbulm with a dozen mages and genomes.  "Spread out and wait for the signal," Deklin ordered the others.  Their mission was to wait for the signal to attack, but none of them knew what it was.  They had spent the last two days in Treno preparing to take the cities.  The mages and genomes arrived en masse six hours before they left for Lindbulm.  Kuja had been recovering the entire time, but stayed to help in retaking Treno with what little magic power he could muster.  Nathan had told them to wait until their reinforcements arrived, he said they would know it when they saw it.  "What the hell are we waiting for?"  Deklin asked out loud angrily.

            Suddenly an airship came swooping out of the sky and hovered over the market area of the town.  Deklin squinted and could see soldiers exiting the ship via ropes.  "The Invincible!" Eiko cried out happily.

            "That's the sign, go to it!" Deklin ordered as he and the others all dashed off into the city to retake the lost town.

            Amarant and Lani materialized with a dozen mages and genomes in the rain in Burmecia.  "Great, I forgot it always rains here," Amarant grumbled as he squinted through the rain at the palace.  "Start counting!" he ordered the closest genome who was already looking at a watch.

            "Take it easy boss man," Lani joked as she stretched and unhooked her axe.  "This place is almost deserted, can't you tell?"

            "I know.  It means the plan worked," Amarant said in a deep voice.  "Which means Starmore is on his own," Amarant said with a voice full of sorrow.  The genome tapped him on the shoulder and directed him to look at the watch.  Amarant watched the seconds tick by, finally acting when the six o'clock hour struck.  "Okay people, you know the drill, spread out, neutralize the Terran forces and find Freya," Amarant ordered as he and the rest of the forces charged into the city.

            Mikoto and the rest of the genomes and mages were busy killing off the remaining Terran forces in Treno.  Mikoto was amazed with the power she wielded with the weapon from Danguerro that she took.  She looked behind her to see how her partner for this battle was faring.

            Kuja was sweating.  He woke up several hours before the battle began and was told to stay in Treno.  He was having trouble.  Ever since he used the Starlight Blast on Parm, he had been having trouble casting magic spells.  Still, there were not enough enemies to cause a big problem for their forces.  

            "Are you okay Kuja?"  Mikoto asked her old enemy, noticing his physical exhaustion.

            "No, I am not," he wheezed as he collapsed.  "Something is draining me," he whispered before passing out.

            Nathan materialized on the roof of Alexandria's castle with a mage.  He quickly dashed into the castle itself and made his way to the throne room.  He had his sword out, ready to cut down any enemy that stood in his way, but was surprised to see his job already done for him.  "What the hell?"  He asked out loud as he entered the throne room, noticing several faces he did not expect.

            Garnet sat on the throne and spoke to him.  "Nice for you to arrive, but we have already taken care of the situation," she smiled at him.

            "Understood, care to explain this a little?" he gestured at the three figures behind her.  "Beatrix, I can understand.  She was in the dungeon and the rest of you freed her, but I have been out of the loop with those two," he pointed at the others.

            "Allow us to explain this," one spoke.  They stepping in between the queen and Nathan, allowing Nathan to get a good look at them.  The first was human, dressed all in black, his face covered by a black mask and a huge sword strapped to his back.  The other was definitely not human.  It was the earth elemental that had been supplying the resistance with information over the last few years.  

            "Allow me to begin," the elemental started.  "We came here to retake what was once rightfully ours," he continued as the others looked on, wondering what was going to happen next.  "As to who we are, you need to go back four years, to the day of the great battle with the WEAPONs."

            "My men were killed during the battle.  I myself was badly injured and had to retreat to the woods for protection," the man in black continued.  "There, I met him.  I pledged to help him retake what was ours someday and have been killing all Terran troops near the woods whenever I could, waiting for this chance, for them to leave the city."  He reached up and pulled off his mask.  "Albert Steiner has returned, your majesty," he finished causing Garnet to burst into tears and race to hug him.

            After they had settled down, the elemental continued.  "I was born the day of the great battle.  King Zidane Tribal was destroyed that day.  He was caught up in an energy blast when the Alpha WEAPON and Starmore disappeared," the elemental stopped speaking.  Nathan gazed at it, seeing how it was nothing but a rough body, made of sap, wood, grass, dirt, and other forest elements.  "He was killed, but I was born.  And now, after four long years of waiting, I can shed this form, knowing I have done all I can with it," he finished.  The dirt and biological matter began to fall from the shape of the man.  "I could not save your brother Starmore.  I am sorry.  But after four years of holding a soul," he paused as more matter fell from him, revealing a human shape under the brown and green matter.  "His body has returned," the elemental finished as the remains of his body fell to the floor, revealing a dirty, sticky, groggy, and confused human shape on the floor.  

            The form got up and looked around oddly.  "Why am I at the castle?  Wasn't I just in a battle with the WEAPONs?"

            "Zidane…" Garnet whispered before fainting.  Zidane caught her before she hit the floor and held her close, not fully understanding what happened to him, but knowing his wife's emotions.

            Garland listened to the report from a soldier.  "All the cities have fallen sir!" the soldier reported.

            "They chose to let their best hope die.  How foolish," Garland laughed as he stood to leave the room.  "Bring the prisoner to the area, we have an execution to broadcast."


	22. Canto 2 : Verse 8 : Armageddon

**_The Song of Eternity_**

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**_Canto 2 : Gaia_**

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**_Verse 8_**

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**_Armageddon_**

****

**_The evil one makes a mistake,_**

**_Angering the one,_**

**_Letting emotion control his actions,_**

**_Losing advantage in the war._**

****

            Mages in all the cities felt the broadcast being sent out.  It appeared on walls and ground all over the world.  The execution of Travis Starmore was to begin.  As the picture cleared, several figures became clear.  The first was Garland in his genome body and ominous black body armor and cloak.  The next few forms that could be made out were the three weaker WEAPONs that Garland himself commanded through use of personality clones.  

            "People of Gaia, my patience with you has worn thin," Garland began.  "You should enjoy this meager victory while you can.  We will come for you tomorrow, and no survivors will be left this time.  This is our world now," Garland grinned evilly.  "Your resistance made a choice.  The choice was to retake your cities instead of saving Travis Starmore, the greatest warrior that you ever had on your side, and the brother of your commander.  As promised, he will now be executed," Garland finished as he stepped away, allowing the screen to follow Travis being transported.

            He was still trapped in the green sphere of energy with sonic pulses being sent coursing through his broken body.  The sphere was being carried to the area in front of the three minor WEAPONs by the Alpha WEAPON.  The Alpha WEAPON set the sphere down and turned to the screen and Garland.  "This man is a great warrior Garland.  I will not watch this travesty," he finished angrily before lifting off into the air and flying away.

            "He is respected by his mortal enemy even," Garland laughed.  "He was your only hope of winning this war, your forces are too weak and spread out, we will kill you all after we take care of him."  Garland walked toward the sphere and the image on the screens across the world zoomed in and followed him.  Garland disappeared from the screen as it zoomed in on Travis himself.

            "Take a look at your hero Gaia," Garland laughed as the picture moved across his body.  His shirt was in tatters, what was left was soaked in blood.  The bones in his arms were not sticking through the skin, but the shape could be seen, confirming that they were horribly broken.  The same went for his legs.  His face was bruised all over and his hair was caked with blood.  His skin was covered in blood and cuts, showing he had been tortured.  His metal arm dripped blood and the light inside was dim.

            It zoomed out as Garland injected something into Travis's neck.  "Time to wake him up in time for his own death," Garland said to the world.  All around the world, women looked away and men stared at the screen in anger.  Travis's head began to move until his eyes opened and he lifted his head.  "Say hello to the world Starmore," Garland ordered.  Travis tried to say something, but ended up coughing up a mouth full of blood.  Garland laughed and grasped Travis's chin in his hand.  "You are pitiful Starmore.  It appears your failed existence will end here," Garland removed his hand and Travis's head fell forward.

            Garland began to walk away, but stopped when he heard a noise from his captive.  He could not make it out the first time, but as he got close again, he could make out the words.  "Who is the angel…" he whispered.  His head lifted a little as he gazed past Garland into space.  Garland laughed at Travis's delirium.  "She want to know about Fiona and Alek…." Travis added before his head fell down again.

            "In your ravings, you actually made some sense Starmore," Garland said calmly.  "Fiona and Alek, your wife and child," Garland grinned as he told the story.

            "That bastard is gonna pay," Amarant said through gritted teeth in Burmecia as he watched the broadcast with Lani and Freya.  "He does not need to know this before he dies."

            The image focused on Travis's limp head as Garland spoke.  "While you were fighting the Alpha WEAPON in the Great Battle, I sent one of my other WEAPONs to Danguerro," Garland explained.  "There was only one soul who tried to defy it.  A tattooed woman with long blue hair.  She had a baby with her.  She tried to stop the WEAPON, but she and the baby were slaughtered," Garland stopped and moved his face next to Travis's.  "I sent it there.  I knew she would be there," he taunted.  The image moved back as Garland stepped away, leaving Travis suspended in the green sphere of energy in front of the three WEAPONs.

            "I tire of this, WEAPONs, prepare to fire!"

            Lani turned her head when she heard the command, not wanting to see the execution.  Amarant looked at the situation intently, stepping back in awe.  "Garland, you stupid son of a bitch," he whispered.

            "Ready!  Aim!"  Garland ordered as the WEAPONs pointed their energy weapons at Travis's head.  "Fire!"  Garland shouted as the WEAPONs unleashed enough firepower to demolish a city, leaving nothing but a huge dust cloud.  As the cloud cleared, two pinpoints of red light were seen glowing through the dust.  As the dust cleared more the pinpoints of light moved up into the air and the broadcast followed the lights.

            As the lights finally cleared the dust, the green sphere was floating in the air.  The lights were his eyes.  There was the sound of a shockwave and the sphere itself exploded.  Travis floated back down to the ground sending the dust swirling away, finally landing back where he was originally located.  When he landed he put his hands together and as he pulled them apart a huge, red curved blade appeared in his left hand.  He looked up at Garland and spoke.  "You will pay for this," he said calmly.  

            His muscles tensed and the image shook.  Fires could be seen breaking out all across the city behind him.  Lightning cracked down out of the sky into the city and around Travis as he walked towards Garland.  "I will do to you what you did to me.  I will take everything you hold dear.  I will exterminate your entire world," he said menacingly.

            "You forget Starmore.  I am not alone here," Garland said as ran past Travis to the WEAPONs.  "Kill him now!"  Garland shouted as the WEAPONs unleashed another barrage on Starmore.  An errant blast impacted the broadcast machine, killing the images being sent to the rest of the world. 

            The WEAPONs stopped firing after a minute.  Starmore stood there looking back at them.  He stepped closer to them, his body bristling with power.  His body had turned dark as night during the attack.  White pinpoints of energy began to form and rush toward the surface of his skin.  "You finished.  I will come back here and destroy this monstrosity after I hunt down Alpha," Travis spoke in a deep voice.  "But now, you are done for," he finished as the light ripped out of his body, through his enemies, and through the city itself.

            He turned away from the carnage, disappearing as a cloud of smoke swirled around him.


	23. Canto 2 : Verse 9 : The Battle

**_The Song of Eternity_**

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**_Canto 2 : Gaia_**

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**_Verse 9_**

****

**_The _****_Battle_****__**

**_Others scramble to take advantage of the situation,_**

**_To secure their own positions,_**

**_As the mortal enemies end their feud._**

****

            "Let's at least convey the image of professionalism here people," Nathan shouted from his seat at the table at the rush of genomes, mages, and normal people.  It was the morning after they retook all the cities and the attempted execution of Travis.  They had left mages and genomes in the cities to watch for attacks and to raise defensive forces.  The major players in the war had traveled to Alexandria during the past hour to discuss their plans.

            Mikoto, Deklin, Eiko, Amarant, Lani, and Freya gad all returned from their respective targets to find Garnet, Nathan, Zidane, and Steiner preparing for the next step in their plans.  Kuja was too injured to come and was being kept under watch in Treno.  Cid materialized with a mage a second later and took a seat.  "Now that we're all here, time for the recap for those who were off the planet, killing things in the woods, regenerating in a earth elemental, or flying around in the stratosphere for the last few years," Nathan sighed as he took a deep breath.  "Apparently damn near no one died in the Great Battle with the WEAPONs.  Those four," he gestured at the four who were on Parm,"Kuja, and Travis were on other planets for a while.  And the rest of you were staying alive, waiting for a chance to strike.  Okay, recap is done, if you have any blank spots that need filled in, wait until later.  Status of the cities?" he asked everyone.

            "We took Lindbulm without too much trouble, thanks to these two," Cid gestured at Eiko and Deklin.  "The old commanders of the city guard were still alive, so they are taking care of the defenses as we speak.  A few minor injuries to my men, but nothing permanent."

            "The mages and genomes are all fine.  I encountered the main enemy force before the others could join me," Deklin stated.

            "He took them out fairly quickly, then I helped patch him when I found him," Eiko said quietly.

            "Using the weapons Toma Shinji made, Lani and I had little trouble ripping through the small force left at Burmecia," Amarant said impatiently.

            "The same in Treno," Mikoto added.

            "Fine, next order of business, what happened to Kuja?"  Nathan asked Mikoto.

            "He insisted on backing us up with magic, so we let him aid in the attack, but I kept an eye on him.  He was exerting a lot of energy, but did not seem to be having too much trouble.  Then around the time the broadcast started he collapsed, saying something was draining him.  He's been unconscious since then," she finished.

            "Speaking of the broadcast, it stopped after they attacked Travis.  Cid, what did you find out?" Nathan continued.

            "We flew by in the Invincible.  The city is a wreck, it looks like a bomb went off in the center where the broadcast was.  The WEAPONs and the populous were barely keeping the city afloat, but they will be back at full strength soon.  Additionally there has been no sign of the Alpha WEAPON or Travis since the broadcast."

            "Okay, let's get the cities fortified.  Someone find out how many WEAPONs are left.  And for god's sake, find out if Travis is still alive," Nathan ordered as the meeting ended.

            The huge metallic monster, the Alpha WEAPON, stood on a ledge overlooking the ocean.  The monster was different than other WEAPONs.  They were all given minds of great Terran generals and warriors, but Alpha was the only one who did not return to help save the city.  He was a great martial artist on Terra.  He respected those with the will to fight.  The metal body he received close to a decade ago was a mix of human and draconian features.  Through his time missing from Gaia he had been damaged and repaired so much that he resembled an enormous metal man with the claws of a dragon.  It's face was slightly elongated as well.  

            It turned around as it's foe appeared.  "Welcome Starmore," it spoke respectfully to it's opponent.

            "You as well," Travis responded.  "Is Garland dead?"

            "No, he is still giving orders, calling all the forces back to defend the city and repair the damage you caused," the WEAPON explained.

            "Why are you here then?"

            "I can ignore his orders, thanks to the events on Earth."

            Travis nodded in understanding.  He was dressed once again in a long black trench coat and held the huge sword in his human hand.  "Did you know of my family?"  Travis asked as he grasped his sword tightly.

            "No, I did not know that he attacked the civilians," the WEAPON explained.  "Shall we end this now?  The ultimate battle, between the two strongest beings on the planet, our destiny."

            "Yes, no more running away.  No more distractions, no outside interference.  Just us, for the last time," Travis confirmed, raising his sword at the WEAPON.  "This is for Earth."  They both quit talking and charged at each other with blinding speed.  The ground they stood on trembled as they exchanged blows.  They both simultaneously unleashed a pair of energy blasts at each other, sending them backwards a dozen feet.

            Travis floated up into the air, his eyes searching for any weakness on his old foe.  The Alpha WEAPON unfurled his wings and did likewise.  The air around Travis started to waver like heat waves as eyes turned red.  They flew at each other again, Travis moving much faster than before, but the Alpha WEAPON still holding his own.  The Alpha WEAPON roared as Travis's sword cut into it's metal exterior.  It swung it's claw sending Travis down to the ground, leaving a crater where he hit the ground.  

            Travis was as black as night as the dust cleared and the Alpha WEAPON dove at him.  He thrust his hands skyward at the WEAPON as it dove.  "Starlight blast!" he shouted as the energy tore out of his body and streaked toward the WEAPON.

            "Get Garnet and Eiko!"  Mikoto shouted as she stuck her head out of a room in Alexandria's castle.  She hurried back inside checking her pockets for potions of any kind.  "I have a potion here," she said as she tossed it at Nathan.  Nathan snatched it out of the air and popped to top off and poured it into the mouth of the figure on the bed.

            "Hold him down," Nathan said through his clenched teeth.  He, Zidane, and Mikoto had taken Kuja to the room when he had arrived an hour ago.  A few minutes ago he collapsed again.  Since then he had started to convulse and spontaneously bleed from invisible wounds.  

            "What's going on?"  Eiko asked as she and Deklin rushed into the room.  "Dear god…" she muttered as she began to cast high powered cure spells on him.  

            "What the hell's going on here?"  Deklin asked as he helped Zidane and Nathan hold him down.

            "No idea, he started babbling about a battle, then all this happened," Nathan shook his head as he explained.  Garnet ran into the room and started casting spells with Eiko.

            The spells seemed to be helping enough that they could let him go.  They stood up as Eiko and Garnet continued casting spells.  "You boys better go grab some ethers for us, we're using Curaga and it's barely helping enough to keep him stable.  If we stop he'll get worse again," Garnet explained as she started to sweat from the exertion.

            Travis and the WEAPON circled each other in the air, studying each other's injuries.  They were both covered in their own fluids.  Travis, slick from his own red blood and Alpha, covered in it's own black fluid, each of them leaving trails on the ground as they circled.

            "Why are you holding back?"  The WEAPON asked him as it looked for an opening.

            "Only one person on a world is supposed to have the power.  One person with the power awakened in him actually.  If two have it, the stronger one will drain the other's life force as he uses his power," Travis explained as he wiped some blood from his eyes.  "I'm trying to keep Kuja alive, but if I have to I will let him die to stop you."  As he finished speaking he flew towards Alpha and began attacking again.  They blocked each other's attacks perfectly for several minutes of fighting.  They separated as Travis and the WEAPON cast Ultima at each other simultaneously.  

            They landed on the ground, both breathing hard and covered in the other's blood as well as their own.  "I have waited for this event so long Starmore," the WEAPON said as they both caught their breath.  "The two of us, only caring to stop each other.  No Garland holding me back.  No United States military keeping you on a leash.  The ultimate battle," the WEAPON shouted as it lunged towards Travis.

            Travis knocked the claw away with his own metal arm and stood face to face with his foe.  "Is that what this is all about?  Wanting to fight me to the death?  Is that why you killed all those people on Earth!"  Travis shouted at the WEAPON in anger as he performed a spin kick, knocking it away.  "Is that all you want?  A death match?"

            "Yes," the WEAPON replied as it got back to it's feet.  "To fight the only one close enough to me in power.  To fight one stronger than myself.  To die in battle, rather than in weakness and old age as I did on Terra.  But you," the WEAPON snarled.  "You have been holding back out of fear for the last four years.  You are afraid to strike me down.  You are afraid of what you are!"  The WEAPON roared as it lunged at Travis again.

            Travis disappeared and reappeared behind Alpha as the claw went through the space he was once in.  "Face me!" the WEAPON roared as he whirled around hitting Travis with a backhand.  It advanced on where Travis fell and picked him up with it's claw.  "Strike me down or you will not face Garland.  You will not face the one who killed your family unless you kill me here and now!"

            Alpha's claw exploded in a shower of black blood as a shockwave exploded out of Travis's body.  Travis drifted to the ground slowly as the WEAPON drew it's hand back ignoring the pain.  Travis kept his human hand at his side, making it send occasional bursts of lightning into his own body.  He raised his sword in his metal arm and pointed it at Alpha.  "No one will stop me from killing Garland, not even you."

            "You need to be strong to beat him, you need to become as horrible as me.  You need to kill everything in your path.  That is your destiny," the WEAPON spoke to him.  

            "I am not like you Alpha," Travis said quietly as he let another Starlight blast loose at the WEAPON.  As the dust cleared, Travis stumbled over to he fallen form of the WEAPON.  He crouched and looked into it's eyes as the light faded from them.  "I am not like you Alpha."

            "No… you are much worse… I saw it on Earth…" the WEAPON muttered as it died.

            Kuja finally settled down and slept peacefully in Alexandria's castle.  Eiko and Garnet sat in two chair in the room exhausted.  "Keep a watch on him through the night, if anything happens, contact someone quickly," Nathan ordered as he and Mikoto left the room.

            Zidane picked up Garnet and carried her from the room as she fell asleep in his arms.  Eiko left Kuja alone with the genome guard and went out into the hall.  Deklin stood there waiting for her.  "Hello Deklin," she greeted him wearily.

            "Hey Eiko," he returned the greeting.  He started to walk away and Eiko fell into step beside him.  "Why is everyone trying so hard to save him after all he did?"  Deklin asked as they kept walking.  

            "Because, he realized what he did was wrong and is on our side now," Eiko shrugged as she stopped walking.  "He's been forgiven," she whispered as she leaned on the wall.  She closed her eyes and fell to the ground exhausted, but never hit, because Deklin caught her.


	24. Canto 2 : Verse 10 : Garland's Secret

**_The Song of Eternity_**

****

**_Canto 2 : Gaia_**

****

**_Verse 10_**

****

**_Garland's Secret_**

****

**_Faced with destruction,_**

**_Fearful of the forces against him,_**

**_In desperation he activates his two fail-safes._**

****

            Kuja was up and walking two days after the execution.  He took a seat in the meeting room with Deklin and Nathan as they awaited Cid's return.  "Ever since the day of the execution the city has been covered in smoke and we haven't been able to accurately assess the damage," Nathan explained to Kuja.  "We got word that the smoke had cleared earlier today and relayed it to Cid and the others on the Invincible.  They should be back soon.  We also got word of some explosions somewhere on the western continent yesterday, hopefully they can shed some light on the situation," Nathan stopped and looked at Kuja.  "What happened to you yesterday?"

            "It felt like I was exerting a great deal of energy, but I wasn't.  It felt like when I used the Starlight blast on Parm, then I passed out," Kuja explained.  "I dreamt while I was sleeping though.  I dreamt of a great battle where I was fighting a giant mechanical monster, only it wasn't me fighting, whoever it was, was using a huge red sword," Kuja finished as he watched Nathan's reaction.

            "Maybe you and Travis are linked somehow.  You're describing Travis's sword and one of the WEAPONs, we'll see what Cid says about the explosions, it's a possibility that there was a battle and since you and Travis can both use Starlight, you felt what he felt.  If not, I have no idea," Nathan finished.  

            They sat in silence for a while until the door opened and Cid, Eiko, and Amarant walked in.  "How goes the General?"  Amarant said lightheartedly as he sat down next to Nathan.

            "Great.  At least I have an army this time," Nathan said irritably.  "What did you find?"

            "The city is floating again, but there was heavy structural damage," Cid explained.  "We saw the remains of the three minor WEAPONs, but no trace of Alpha or the other two there.  Also, we did not see any people moving at all, it's like a ghost town," Cid finished.

            "Great, the entire populous of the city disappeared," Nathan muttered.  "Amarant, get a team together after the meeting and go check it out.  Be careful though, there are booby traps all over the place," Nathan ordered as Amarant nodded.  "What about the western continent?"

            "It looked like a war went on," Eiko said.  She leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes, exhausted by her actions over the last couple days.

            "The ground was turned to glass in some spots.  There were several fresh craters from explosions," Amarant explained.  "When we landed and got in close, there was a lot of dried liquid on the ground.  Some of it was blood, some of it was an oil like substance that Cid identified as WEAPON blood.  We looked around some more and found what was left of the Alpha WEAPON.  Someone destroyed it, the only guess I have is that it was your brother," Amarant finished.

            "Okay, so we have two WEAPONs and Travis to account for," Nathan said.  "Amarant, get your team out tomorrow morning to investigate the city.  Everyone else, start looking for the WEAPONs and Travis," Nathan ordered as he left the room.  Cid followed him, talking about what routes to take with the Invincible.            

            "He seems to have the situation well in hand," Kuja observed as he got to his feet.  "I will be going back to my room now, I am not yet fully recovered," he bowed before exiting.

            "You two, get some sleep.  You're coming with Lani and me tomorrow," Amarant ordered as he followed Kuja.

            "Eiko, you awake," Deklin nudged Eiko with his elbow.

            "Nope," she joked as she yawned and opened her eyes.  "What'd I miss?"

            "We're going with Lani and Amarant tomorrow to check out the city.  Time to get some rest," Deklin explained as he stood up and stretched.  "Eiko, I…"  He stopped as he saw that she was sleeping again.  "Nevermind," he said to no one as he picked her up and carried her to her room for the second time.

            Deklin materialized with Amarant, Lani, and Eiko in the streets of the Terran city.  He dropped to a knee soon afterwards to catch his breath.  "Keep and eye out for traps, Nathan said they come out of the street itself," Amarant warned as he waited for Deklin to get back up.  They walked forward along the street cautiously, keeping a sharp eye out, but nothing happened.

            "Anybody home!" Lani shouted as they entered an open area, but did not see any signs of life.

            "Don't do that again," Amarant said through gritted teeth as he looked for an attack.  "What's going on here?" he wondered out loud.

            "Amarant, I think we're okay here," Deklin said as he dropped to a knee and put his palm on the ground.  "Help me pull this up," he motioned for Amarant.  They drove Deklin's sword into a groove on the ground and used it as a lever until a foot diameter metal cylinder was raised three feet from the ground.  "This must be the security system," Deklin observed as he checked out the cylinder.

            "Looks shut down," Eiko said as she poked it with her staff.  "There aren't any lights on either, the power must be out."

            "Fine, let's start checking out the buildings, try to find the people," Amarant ordered as he let the cylinder slowly fall back into the street.

            "When were they spotted?"  Nathan shouted to Zidane through the closed door.

            "Maybe 15 minutes ago, the mages got the scout here as fast as they could," Zidane explained as the door burst open and Nathan rushed out, pulling his shirt on.

            "Take me to the scout," Nathan said as they walked down the hall.  

            Mikoto caught up to them a second later.  "Close the door when you leave next time," Mikoto whispered as she hit Nathan in the arm.

            "Sorry," he whispered as they turned into the meeting room where Steiner and Garnet were waiting with a genome.  "What did you see?"

            "Sir, I spotted the two WEAPONs heading west over the ocean away from here," the genome explained.

            "Where the hell are they going?"  Nathan asked out loud.

            "Maybe Danguerro?"  Mikoto suggested to Nathan.

            "No, would be faster to go over the ocean, east from the city.  There is nothing on that continent.  Where could they be going?"  Nathan scratched his head as he tried to figure out their reasoning.

            "Do you think, maybe the Air Garden?"  Zidane suggested.

            "What's an Air Garden?"  Nathan looked at Zidane confusedly.

            "The chocobo Air Garden, it floats around in the sky.  Not really anything there, we cleared out all the items a decade ago," Zidane explained.

            "Zidane, the Eidelon ghost may still be there," Steiner suggested.

            "The what?" Nathan asked.

            "Ozma, the ghost of an Eidelon, very resistant to physical attacks.  We fought it once before, but who knows if it's still there.  I'm not really an expert on ghosts," Zidane explained.

            "Great, just great," Nathan muttered as he thought up a plan.  "Okay, we're gonna get in touch with Cid, get on the Invincible and head out to check on what's going on," Nathan ordered as he left the room to find a mage.

            "So, you married him?"  Zidane asked Mikoto.

            "Quiet," Garnet said as she elbowed Zidane.

            "What?  I just wanted to know what's going on around here, I've been dead for the last four years," Zidane defended himself.          

            "What the hell is going on there?" Zidane said out loud as he squinted at the Air Garden as they neared it.  As they got closer, the action became more clear.  Ozma was battling the two remaining WEAPONs as the Air Garden shattered around them.  As they got closer, Ozma turned to attack them, giving the WEAPONs the opportunity they were waiting for.

            Cloudchaser got below Ozma and flew up into it, somehow becoming insubstantial.  The Shadow WEAPON flew above Ozma and seemed to melt, covering the sphere that was Ozma in complete darkness.  The darkness began to solidify and shrink within minutes.  The sphere shrunk down and changed form until it resembled a human.  Finally, the features became clear and Zidane, Garnet, and Steiner recognized the form.  "It's Garland…" they whispered as Garland turned to face the airship.

            Garland looked at the airship and raised one arm, making his palm face the airship.  "Evasive maneuvers!" Nathan shouted as he realized what was going on.  A light formed in Garland's palm and shot forward, clipping the airship, sending it crashing towards the ocean below.  As it spiraled toward the ground Nathan ordered everyone to abandon ship.  "Find a mage, a parachute, or a window, just get out of here!"  He shouted as he grabbed Mikoto and kicked out a window on the bridge.  "Hurry up, there's no time people!" he shouted before he pushed Mikoto out the window and started helping the others escape.

            "What did you find?" Lani yawned as she watched Eiko work on the computer screen.  They had separated from Amarant and Deklin ten minutes ago when they found the computer room.  

            "Something about a failsafe device being activated upon the death of Garland," Eiko explained.  "Actually two.  First one says something about using the Shadow WEAPON to make an ultimate fighting machine.  Second one says something about sending probes to other worlds, but needing a great power source," Eiko explained as she rubbed her eyes.

            "How many probes?" Amarant frowned as he walked back into the room.

            "Twelve."

            "Well, we figured out where all the people went," Deklin said as he leaned up against the wall.

            "Twelve chambers under the city," Amarant said as he took a moment to gather himself.

            "Are you two okay?" Lani asked as she checked on Amarant.

            "Twelve chambers, full of tables, with genomes on them," Deklin said as he sat down on the ground.

            Eiko went to check on him, but she waved him away.  "What about the genomes?" she asked him as she crouched down beside him.

            "All dead," Deklin shook his head.        

            "Drained of life, and another spherical object in the center of each room, hollow, like their lifeforces were used to send the probes out," Amarant explained.  "We need to find out what those probes were."


	25. Canto 2 : Verse 11 : Love and War

**_The Song of Eternity_**

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**_Canto 2 : Gaia_**

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**_Verse 11_**

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**_Love and War_**

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**_They grow closer,_**

**_And reaffirm their feelings,_**

**_Making up for lost time,_**

**_And past mistakes,_**

**_With the backdrop of Armageddon raging around them._**

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****

****

Nathan spat up salt water as he came to the surface.  He turned his head as the Invincible crashed into water and sent metal and fire flying over his head.  He started swimming toward the beach with the rest of the crew hoping he didn't miss anyone before he bailed from the airship.  He looked back as he swam hard towards the shore.  Garland was floating a foot off the water, steadily heading towards him and the retreating crew.  Nathan looked back to the shore and saw that it was too far away.  He stopped swimming and turned to tread water, drawing his sword to face Garland.  "Bring it on, you monster," he shouted at Garland.

            Nathan felt himself lifted from the water by a hand behind him.  "What the hell?" he shouted in alarm as he turned his face to see who had pulled him from the ocean.  "Travis?"

            "What do you think you're doing, throwing your life away?" Travis asked Nathan.  "Get out of here, go to your family."

            "Travis… good to see you again," Nathan said to his brother.

            "You too.  It probably won't happen again," he finished.  Travis hurled Nathan towards the shore, sending him flying a couple hundred feet through the air and crashing to the water.  "Garland, time to pay the piper," he whispered as he readied his sword.

            Steiner washed up on the beach alongside Beatrix.  He had never changed back into his armor after returning to Alexandria, preferring to stay in his lightweight clothes from the forest.  "Are you okay Beatrix?" he asked as she struggled to sit up.

            "Great," she muttered before spitting out a mouthful of water.  "Where are the others?" she asked as she got to her feet.

            "Somewhere around here, but we need to get out of here soon," he pointed out over the ocean at the battle between Travis and Garland raging over the ocean.  "Let's go find a mage and get out of here," he ordered as he helped Beatrix to her feet.

            "Thank you, Steiner," Beatrix said to him as she got to her feet.  They walked along the beach for a while, finally spotting a mage in the distance.  They stood still as the mage hurried over to them.  "Steiner, I missed you," Beatrix admitted as the mage grew closer.  

            Steiner looked her in the eyes.  "I know.  I won't let anything like that happen again," he stopped as he pulled her close.  "I promise."

            "You sure this place is abandoned?" Lani asked as they walked around in the area of the city that was damaged when Travis escaped.  They finally stopped at the place where the remains of Garland and his WEAPONs lay.

            "Quite sure," Amarant said for the fifth time.  "Even if it isn't, we can handle ourselves and the kids will be fine," Amarant said as he thought of how they left Deklin and Eiko in the computer room while they went to look around.  He crouched near the remains of the closest WEAPON.  "He really did a number on them," Amarant observed as he looked at what was left of the WEAPON.

            "So what's the big deal, dragging me out here anyway?"  Lani questioned Amarant as she sat down on a security device that was stuck out of the ground.  "You could have done this and I could have checked out the probe rooms.  Or we could have just stayed with them, Eiko will figure out what went on soon enough," Lani pried.

            "For the joy of your company," Amarant replied sarcastically.  "They need to work some things out between them, so I gave them the chance," he explained.  

            "Whatever," Lani shrugged.  "So he did all this?"  Lani asked Amarant, meaning Travis.  "Almost seems impossible," she said as she gazed at the destruction.

            "This was more powerful that the attack I remember him using, more powerful than Kuja's attack as well," Amarant observed by looking over the situation.  "We should go talk to your father after this all ends," Amarant said out of the blue.

            "What brought this about?"  Lani asked as she kicked at a rock on the ground.

            "He's already lost a daughter, grandson, and son-in-law.  You left town a long time ago and he doesn't know about us," Amarant explained as he ran a hand through his hair.

            "What about us?"  Lani asked, forcing Amarant to respond.  "The hasn't really been an us for a decade and a half," Lani said angrily.

            "We did what we thought was right at the time," Amarant said.  "My order does not believe in divorce," Amarant reminded her.

            "We were kids then," Lani shouted at him.  

            "There was a spark there," Amarant said calmly.

            "You are so annoying!  Stupid monk, I wish I never washed up on that stupid island and got saved by you stupid monks…" she stopped talking as Amarant placed his hand over her mouth.  

            "You don't mean that."

            "I… yes I do," she said, shaking her head.

            "Then why are you blushing?" he asked as he walked away from her, back to where Eiko and Deklin were waiting.

            Zidane and  Garnet walked together along the beach looking for the rest of the crew from the airship.  Zidane acted very agitated, like something was bothering him.  "You've been okay these last few years?" he asked Garnet awkwardly.  

            "I haven't been okay Zidane," Garnet replied, stopping in her tracks.  "I've just been.  I've been mourning you for so long, wishing I could see you again," she said as she broke into tears.

            "Shhh, take it easy," he soothed her as he held her in his arms.  "I'm sorry.  It was only a second for me, but years for you," he said quietly.  "I won't leave you again," he promised as they stood there on the beach in each other's arms.

            They were startled by a shockwave originating in the direction they just came from.  They turned to see Travis and Garland battling each other at an incredible speed on the beach.  "Run, god damn it!  I can't hold him back forever!" they heard Travis shout over the sound of explosions.

            They turned and ran, not stopping until they found a mage and the sounds of battle stopped.  "Let's get out of here, we can't do anything for him," Zidane stated as he held Garnet and they disappeared with the mage.

            Nathan crawled onto the beach a bit after Travis threw him.  He gasped for air and gazed back at the sea at the battle going on.  Garland and Travis were hitting each other with such force he could hear it on the beach.  He could see dozens of energy blast being unleashed as well.  "Damn Travis, good luck," he said goodbye to his brother before looking at the beach around him.

            He spotted a still form twenty feet away where the ocean met the sand.  He ran over and shouted when he recognized the clothes.  "Mikoto!"  He dropped to his knees by his wife and rolled her over.  He checked for a pulse and breathing, but found neither.  "Shit!" he shouted.  He quickly bent her head back and began to give her mouth to mouth resuscitation.  "Come on!" he shouted as he pushed down on her chest.  "Don't you die on me!"  He got desperate and cast a small bolt spell, jumpstarting her heart.  She began to spit up seawater as Nathan tilted her head to the side.  "Mikoto, are you okay," he whispered as she drew in several deep breaths.  

            "Yes," she whispered as she continued to draw deep breaths.

            "I thought I lost you for a second there," Nathan said as he picked her up.  "We need to get out of here, Travis is buying us some time," he nodded at the battle as it neared the beach.

            "Nathan, I trust you can handle this," Mikoto whispered as she passed out in his arms.

            Nathan jogged carefully along the beach with his wife.  "Let's hope so love, let's hope so," he whispered as he spotted a mage.

            "Find anything yet?" Deklin asked as he lay on his back in the computer room.

            Eiko looked away from the screen at him for a second.  "I'm working on it," she replied in annoyance.  She turned back to the screen, looking for more information on the probes that were sent out.

            "Take it easy girl," Deklin replied.  "No need to get all uppity about it," he said before dodging the staff Eiko threw at him.  

            "I'll give you take it easy!  I've been exhausted for the last week, not knowing what was going to happen next and you say take it easy!" she shouted at him.

            "Nothing bad has happened yet," Deklin replied, getting to his feet.

            "I don't remember how I got to bed the last couple nights, the world is going to hell in a hand basket, and you say take it easy?!"

            "Yes," he replied as he handed her the staff back.  "You were talking to me those nights, I carried you," he explained about the previous nights.  

            "I thought that was a dream," she said.  "You never were very polite in our conversations until then, I thought it was a dream…"

            "I'm touched," replied sarcastically.  "The world will be fine, it always is, you just gotta have faith," he stated as he looked her in the eyes from an inch away.  "Understa…," he tried to say understand, but was silenced as Eiko's lips met his.  He looked at her closed eyes in surprise and found himself returning the kiss.  He rested his hand on the keyboard, mashing some buttons, causing the computer to make a noise.

            Eiko broke off the kiss and turned to the screen.  "Hey, you did something!" she exclaimed as the screen filled with schematics and details.  "This is about the probes, it says a dozen were sent to other worlds in the event of Garland's demise.  It says they are programmed to assimilate the strongest lifeforce on the planet and remake the host in Garland's image."

            "Worse than that, over here it says that the new being will have the mind of Garland as well," Deklin said as he examined another screen that turned on.  "And that it works like a virus, unstoppable, and unseen.  It has the imprints of the entire Terran society built into it's memory as well," he said in horror.  "They plan to take over every world," he said as the true purpose of the probes dawned on him.

            Freya was in Kuja's room with a half dozen genomes, holding down their old enemy.  Kuja had been thrashing around for the last half hour, since they lost contact with the airship.  They had been giving him potions by the dozen, but were quickly running out.  Finally, Kuja closed his eyes and passed out.  No new wounds appeared as he slept peacefully.

            Travis went reeling backwards into the jungle following the last blow from Garland.  He struggled to get to his feet, only to be knocked back by Garland.  "Foolish human.  It is over.  You cannot defeat what I have become," Garland taunted.  Travis reached out with his remaining strength and cast Ultima on Garland's advancing form.  The energy bounced off him harmlessly.  "Surrender Starmore.  You have met your better," Garland said calmly as he shocked Travis with a Thundaga spell.

            Travis howled in pain.  "I will not surrender.  I will not lose," he said to himself as he got to his feet.

            "Why do you fight?  To save them?"  Garland asked, meaning the other on the Invincible.

            "To make sure no one goes through what I went through… to take their sadness upon my own soul…" Travis muttered as something strange happened to him.

            "Look at you, you are pathetic," Garland taunted.  "You used so much power that you can't even keep your body in one piece."

            Travis looked down at his own body, seeing it become transparent.  "I will survive," he said with strength as he solidified and looked up at Garland.

            "No you won't," Garland countered as he unleashed an enormous dark energy blast at Travis, sending him flying backwards once again.  Garland walked ever to where Travis landed in time to watch him fade away into nothingness.  "Time to finish off the rest of them."


	26. Canto 2 : Verse 12 : Futility

**_The Song of Eternity_**

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**_Canto 2 : Gaia_**

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**_Verse 11_**

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**_Futility_**

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**_The hero has fallen for the third time,_**

**_The evil one approaches the gathered heroes._**

**_They battle,_**

**_Knowing they cannot win,_**

**_Trying to save those they love._**

****

            "Get them all out of the city!"  Nathan shouted to the guards who were hurriedly ushering the citizens of Alexandria from the city.  "Get to Lindbulm!  If we die here, head to the woods, do not let him find you," Nathan shouted to the citizens passing by.

            They had all arrived back at Alexandria within the last hour, quickly sharing the information they found before hearing the news.  Mages began showing up in the city telling the same story, Burmecia was destroyed, many of the people escaped, but the death toll was huge.  Garland was advancing on Alexandria, burning the countryside on the way.  They could see the smoke coming closer and decided to let those who could make a difference stay, and for everyone else to get out of the city.

            Right now their force consisted of nearly a hundred genomes and mages, Zidane, Garnet, Steiner, Beatrix, Nathan, Mikoto, Kuja, Freya, Eiko, Deklin, Amarant, and Lani.  They had distributed the weapons tempered with Travis's blood earlier, giving one to each of those who did not have one.

            "This sucks," Lani said as she leaned on her axe.  "Think he died?" she asked Amarant, thinking of Travis.

            "Probably," Amarant said grimly.  Amarant turned as a genome came to speak to him.  

            "Sir, there is a man from Danguerro here.  He says his name is Toma Shinji, he wants to see you and Lani," the genome explained, pointing to the old man down the block.

            "What the hell is he doing here?"  Lani said in anger as she ran down the street to her father.  Amarant slowly walked down the street until he heard her yelling.  "What are you doing here?  This place is gonna be a war zone soon!  You need to leave," she pleaded with him.  

            "I know, but I was already on my way here before this situation developed," Toma explained as Amarant walked up to him.  "Travis came to see me yesterday," Toma explained.  "He took the plain necklace that was Alek's and Fiona's wedding ring.  I was keeping them in remembrance.  I think he plans to die," Toma explained as Amarant looked at the fire growing closer.

            "He already has," Amarant said.  "He saved Nathan, Mikoto, and the others from Garland's initial attack.  Garland is here now, so Travis is dead," Amarant finished.

            "Dad, you need to get out of here," Lani whispered to her father.  "We need to stay to stop Garland, but if we lose, you need to get as far away from here as possible," Lani said as she ushered her father towards the exit.

            "Lani, tell him," Amarant ordered before he walked back to talk to Nathan and the others.

            "Tell me what?"  Toma asked Lani as she walked with him to the city gate.  "Well?"  He stopped at the city gate as people rushed by him.

            "In case we don't make it, there's something you need to know," Lani said before taking a deep breath.  "When I left home, I was taken in by Amarant's order of monks.  We got married and he got exiled before the plague destroyed his order.  We haven't been a couple for a long time, but have stayed married because divorce is against his beliefs.  We are gonna try to work it out after this is all over," she said before looking back at the smoke growing closer.

            "Just make it through this, I've already lost one daughter and husband.  I do not want to lose you two," he said before hugging her and leaving the city.

            "Get ready," Amarant ordered as she caught back up to him and they could see the flames over the castle wall.

            Garland floated out of the flames into Alexandria.  He looked like he had on Terra with a few exceptions.  The clothed parts of his body were not actually clothed, they were just pitch black.  The rest of his body was pale white and very angular looking.  His eyes were the scariest part, they glowed as red as the fires that traveled in his wake.  He floated into the town square, where the twelve heroes were waiting for him.  "We meet again, weak humans," he snarled as he rested on the ground.

            "You should have learned the lesson from what I did to the other Starmore," he laughed as he eyed the mages around the perimeter of the town square.  "You think you can succeed where he failed?"

            "We don't have a choice, do we?" Nathan countered as he readied his sword.  

            "Very well then, let it begin," Garland said calmly as he made a wave of fire wash over his enemies.  Nathan ignored the flames and rushed at Garland, swinging his sword right for his head.  The sword made a shallow cut into Garland, revealing blackness under the white skin.  "Back," Garland shouted as he backhanded Nathan.  He turned to face the others as they formed a circled around him and charged.  Garland grunted as the weapons gouged into his 'flesh'.  "Enough!"  Garland roared as he let loose an energy blast, sending all eleven of them flying backwards.

            Garland stood in the same place he landed at earlier.  Small cuts dotted his exterior, but were rapidly closing.  "Magic, now!"  Nathan shouted to the mages and genomes.  High powered spells of all types crashed into Garland, stunning him.  "Use the weapon skills!"  Nathan shouted to the other eleven as they were getting up.  He rushed in to attack Garland as the spells started to die off.  He unleashed the special skill built into the sword as he struck at Garland.  The sword bit into Garland an inch before stopping.  

            Garland stared at Nathan with hate in his eyes.  "You have the power he had," Garland growled before pulling the sword from his form and blasting it and Nathan backwards with a blast of Ultima magic.  "Who else has the nerve to face me?!"  Garland roared, looking for his next attacker.

            "I've trained my whole life to stop this," Amarant said as he stepped up to fight Garland.

            "And I need to represent the family," Lani shouted from the other side of Garland.  They both attacked in unison, moving unnaturally fast due to the power of the weapons.  They took Garland by surprise, each hitting him from different sides with all their strength.  

            "You all have the power!" Garland roared as he swung at Amarant.  Amarant barely dodged the strike and clawed a gash in Garland's arm as it passed by him.  "No more!" he shouted as he let loose blasts of energy at both of them at the same time, sending them sprawling backwards.  

            "Much more," Freya said as she dove out of the sky, goring Garland on her spear.  Garland screamed in pain as he was attacked by Beatrix and Steiner as well.  They continued to strike Garland as he pulled the spear from his body.  He tossed it to the ground and charged into Steiner and Beatrix, knocking them both back.

            He turned around as holy magic started to eat away at his sides.  Garnet stood next to Eiko, both were casting their most powerful spells at him.  "Women fight me," he said disapprovingly as he stepped through the spell towards them.  

            "Not to mention me," Deklin said as he stepped in between Garland and the girls.  "Eidelons, now.  I can't stop him for long, we need to buy a little more time," he whispered to the girls.  "Here we go!" he shouted as he rushed at Garland with his shortsword.  Garland knocked it out of his hands before it could strike him.

            "Was that it?"

            "Naw, that was a set up," Deklin smiled.  "Doomsday X!" Deklin shouted as the darkness surrounded both of them.  What looked like ghosts whirled around in the darkness, making grooves in Garland's form and spraying blood from Deklin.  "That hurt," he muttered as he stumbled away from the scene.

            Madeen and Bahamut appeared simultaneously and attacked Garland for half a minute before Garland dismissed them.  "You…will….pay…" Garland muttered through gritted teeth.  He shuffled toward the girls as his own wounds healed rapidly.

            "Better deal with your creations first," came a voice from behind him.  Garland turned in time to be hit by Zidane's amplified Grand Lethal attack.  "Mikoto, now!" he shouted as he finished the attack.  Mikoto attacked with a similar but weaker attack, causing Garland to fall to his knee.  

            "Is that all…?" Garland smiled as he looked at the genomes.  

            "No.  I am still here," Kuja said as his form appeared from behind the others.

            "You…." Garland whispered in disbelief as he backed away slightly.

            "With a whole new bag of tricks," Kuja smiled as he turned black as night.  "This one's for Starmore.  Starlight Blast!" he yelled as the power ripped out of his body, making a hole in Garland's midsection.  Kuja slumped to the ground afterwards, covered in blood.  "That hurt," he muttered before passing out.

            Garland unsteadily got to his feet to find himself surrounded by everyone but Kuja.  "Here goes nothing," Nathan said.  "Brothers' War!" he screamed as an orange energy covered his allies.  "I haven't been able to do that since Travis left," he said in disbelief as he saw his Trance skill working.  "You have one minute of invincibility.  Hurry!" Nathan shouted as he and the others began to rain a multitude of blows on Garland's form.  

            After the Trance wore off, they stood back to look at Garland.  His body lay still on the ground.  "He dead?" Lani asked as she leaned on Amarant.

            "Can't tell, think he breathes?" Deklin said as he crept closer to the body.  He stood a step away from Garland and stared at the body.  He stood still, trying to sense any sign of life.  He suddenly turned and dived back at the others.  "Get down!" 

            The warning came too late.  A powerful blast of energy spread outward from Garland's form, sending everyone sprawling twenty feet away and bleeding.  Garland was standing when they looked back, his exterior was cracked, but apparently no worse for wear.  "We're gonna die here," Eiko said as she helped Deklin to his feet.


	27. Canto 2 : Verse 13 : Endgame

**_The Song of Eternity_**

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**_Canto 2 : Gaia_**

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**_Verse 13_**

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**_Endgame_**

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**_Unable to defeat the foe,_**

**_Hope is lost._**

**_He takes all their sadness on himself,_**

**_And lives in darkness forever._**

****

            "We're gonna die here," Eiko whispered as she helped Deklin to his feet.  "He's gonna kill all of us," she said as Garland laughed at all of them.  "Deklin, you need to do something," she said as Deklin leaned on her.

            "I'd love to, but there's a small problem here," he said as he fell to his knees.  "I landed on something sharp," he explained as Eiko stared at the blood spreading across his back.  "He's nullified all our magic too, can't you tell," he explained as he got to his feet and leaned heavily on Eiko.

            "You're right…," Eiko admitted as she found she could not use her magic.  She glanced around to the others, Nathan was on his feet, as were Amarant and Zidane, but the others got hit too hard by the spell or landed poorly and were barely moving.  "Looks like everyone is in pretty bad shape," she whispered.

            "Yup, looks like this is the end.  At least we're among friends," Deklin sighed as he groaned in pain and fell to the ground.

            _Can you hear me?  Travis, can you hear me?  The voice drifted through nothingness, searching for someone to listen.  __There you are.  Open your eyes.  The voice commanded the still form in the blackness, who in turn moved and opened it's eyes.  _

            _Where am I?  Travis 'said' out loud, noticing that he never really spoke, he just thought.  He looked down at himself, noticing that he had changed.  His body had turned into the rough outline of a human form, he was made of glowing, transparent energy.  __What is going on?_

_            You are dead._  The voice spoke in a feminine tone.  Travis looked at the being he was speaking to.  It was a little bit smaller than him, distinctively feminine, it looked like it was holding something as well.  It was made up of energy, just like Travis now was.  _Follow me.   The voice ordered as it drifted away._

            Travis followed it, until he found himself on the edge of the battlefield where the others were getting beat by Garland.  _How'd I get here?  Who are you?_  He questioned the being, hoping for an answer.  In response, the being waved it's hand, forcing Travis's features to become sharp again, but still made of transparent energy.  The being then waved it's other hand, causing it's own features to sharpen.  _Fiona and Alek…_

            Travis thought the words as he recognized the two in front of him.  The woman was Fiona, his deceased wife.  She looked like she did the last time he saw her.  She stood up to his shoulders, with short cut spiky blue hair.  She had tribal tattoo designs up and down her arms and was wearing her favorite orange skirt and top, the one he gave her before they got married.  She was holding their son Alek in her arms.  Travis reached around his neck to find nothing there.  His eyes shifted to the baby with the plain metal necklace around his neck and Fiona with her wedding ring on.  _Fiona, I missed you._

_            I know Travis, I know.  But you need to watch this.  _ She gestured at the battle in front of them.  Garland was stalking toward Nathan who was bravely standing in front of Mikoto.  Deklin lay bleeding in Eiko's arms, and Amarant was busy trying to rouse the others.  _They are going to die._  Fiona stated as Nathan was knocked backward into Mikoto.

            _I tried to stop him.  I was too weak.  Travis said as he turned away from the battle.  __Just like I was too weak to save you_

            _Travis, don't blame yourself.  You had to go help the others._

_            You died because of me leaving that day.  Not to mention the millions that died after that.  Let's go, I don't' want to watch this.  _Travis said as he tried to leave, but could not.

            _You must watch.  Watch your enemy kill your friends._

_            Why are you doing this?  _Travis asked as he saw Nathan stirring again.

            _Because it is right.  You could have stopped him if you tried.  Why didn't you?_

_            It would have killed Kuja if I had used my full power.  I could feel him dying.  I chose to let him live, hoping he could do it with their help.  Why are we watching this?  _Travis questioned his wife as Nathan unsteadily got to his feet.

            _You have a choice Travis.  You can come with me to the afterlife and let Nathan and the others die.  __Garland__ and Terra will destroy countless worlds if you come to the afterlife with me.  Or you can go back.  If you go back, it will cost Alek and I our eternal souls.  You will have to chase _Garland___'s forces across dimensions for all eternity.  And you will never see us again._

            _I want to be with you.  Travis said with conviction.  _It's all I've wanted for so long.__

_            Are you sure Travis?  Take some time, I'm sure you'll make the right decision.  You've always done the right thing._  She smiled at him as he stared out at the battle.

            _I want to stay dead.  I want to stay here with you.  I don't want to fight anymore.  Travis admitted as he saw Nathan muster up enough strength to strike at Garland._

            _What about what you learned on Earth?  If you don't fight, who will?  Who will save the innocent?_

Travis crouched as he looked out over the battle.  _I guess this is goodbye then Fiona.  Travis said as he stood up and faced his wife.  _I really have no choice here.  Before I agree, are you sure **you** want this?__

_            I don't want anyone else to experience the sadness we did._

_            Fine.  I'll always love you Fiona.  _Travis spoke as he pulled her close.  He kissed his son on the forehead, then looked into his wife's eyes.  _What do I do…  He stopped as she pulled him close and kissed him.  He closed his eyes as he felt her slip away.  When he opened them, he was still transparent, but on the battlefield near Kuja.  He looked down to see he was only wearing his pants.  He could clearly see his metal arm and something new.  Fiona's ring was around his neck on his son's necklace.  He glanced at something above his heart as well, a perfect tattoo of Fiona smiling and holding Alek.  He drifted over to where Kuja's body lay in a heap.  _Kuja, wake up.__

"What…," Kuja blinked as he heard a voice pull him back to consciousness.  He opened his eyes and saw a familiar form above him.  "Why are you see through?"

            _Long story, no time to tell.  I need to take your Starlight so I can defeat _Garland___.  You will never be able to use it again though._

"Go nuts, just make sure he dies," Kuja said to Travis.

            _I will.  Travis reached his insubstantial hand into Kuja's chest, removing a small sphere of darkness from Kuja's chest.  The sphere melted into his own hand after it was totally removed from Kuja.  A second later Travis glowed as bright as the sun, blinding everyone on the battlefield.  As the light cleared, he stood in front of Garland, whole and alive again.  "Boo," he said calmly as he struck Garland in the face._

            "You died…" Garland said as he gathered himself, facing the new threat.

            "I got better," Travis joked as his sword materialized in his human hand.  "I can't let you destroy this world," he stated calmly.

            "It does not matter if you beat me, Terra will live on," Garland taunted.

            "He sent probes, full of the technovirus that made him what he is now to other worlds.  Each one has the ability and knowledge of him," Eiko motioned at Garland.  "They can recreate the entire Terran race if given the chance.  He sent out a dozen," Eiko said before helping Deklin.

            "I know, Fiona told me," Travis admitted.  "I will go after them after he is dealt with," Travis said as he walked towards Garland.  

            "You really want to die again boy," Garland roared as they both flew at each other and battled in midair at an incredible speed.  They struck at each other with so much force that cracks formed on the ground below them.  Finally Garland crashed to the ground as Travis floated in the air above him.  "Impossible, you are stronger," Garland said in disbelief as he examined the large cracks in his exterior.

            "I have no reason to hold back," Travis said as Garland leapt at him.

            Travis stepped out of the way and sliced cleanly through the arm Garland struck with.  "I accept my power now," he said calmly as he drifted to the ground beside Garland.  "I will take others' sadness as my own and never let another experience what I have.  You will not harm another," Travis finished as he stood next to Garland.  

            "Go to hell Starmore.  You are not strong enough to kill me.  I will regenerate," Garland growled.

            "Not if there is nothing left to regenerate from," Travis said as he grabbed Garland and hurled him to the air above him.  "The Starlight is my power, my curse," he said as he unleashed a Starlight blast at Garland.  "You will not hurt anyone else!" Travis shouted as the Starlight blast tripled in power.  He stood still, bleeding as the smoke cleared, looking at the sky.

            "You got him," Nathan said as Mikoto helped him shuffle over to Travis.  "You got him Trav."

            "I am going away Nathan," Travis spoke to his brother.

            "Let us help you."

            "No.  Stay here.  Live a good life, stay with your family.  I need to do this for Fiona.  She told me she wanted me to stop Garland's forces.  Where I'm going, I wouldn't want anyone to follow," Travis explained as his eyes turned black.

            "But what about Earth.  We should go home and say goodbye to mom and dad at least," Nathan pleaded with Travis.

            "There is nothing left on Earth.  Alpha and I battled there for two years.  All our family and most of our friends are dead, along with over half the planet.  This is your life here Nathan," Travis said as he patted Nathan on the shoulder.  "I need to go live my life now.  You won't see me again Nathan," he finished as he waved his hand and an oval of darkness appeared.  "I can hear the song, but the words are foreign," he said as he stepped closer to the void.

            "It speaks of two futures," Amarant said from his position on the ground.  "One of joy and happiness and love for us on Gaia.  And one of pain and suffering for you Travis," Amarant frowned as he coughed up a little blood.

            "I wouldn't have it any other way.  Later, guys.  It was good while it lasted," Travis finished before stepping into the void and vanishing.

------------------------------------------_Six Years Later------------------------------------_

            "Go play, don't hurt yourself," Amarant said as he pushed a child forward onto the playground with some other kids.  Amarant walked over to where his friends were standing around.  "What?" he said angrily as Zidane chuckled at him.

            "Never pictured you as the fatherly type," Zidane laughed as the eleven of them (minus Freya) who battled Garland stood around, killing some time.

            "Be nice," Garnet scolded Zidane, hitting him in the arm.  "You make a great father Amarant," she smiled.

            Amarant stood silently, annoyed at Zidane.  "Be sociable," Lani ordered as she hit him in the back of the head.  "How old are yours now?" Lani asked Garnet.  

            "The twins are five now," Garnet said as she looked at a pair of identical twin boys running around on the playground.  They both looked just like their father Zidane, minus the tail.  "How about your daughter?"

            "Fiona is four now," Amarant said as he watched his daughter playing tag with the other kids.  She was easily spotted with the full head of long red hair.

            "Shhh," Eiko whispered as she rocked the child in her arms.

            "What's the deal with you two anyway?  How many more are you planning on popping out?" Zidane asked Deklin before Garnet cracked him upside the back of his head.

            "We only have four Zidane," he said as Garnet scolded his friend.  "No magic!" he shouted at the playground.  Two girls and a boy turned around to look at him.  "Put it out!"  The kids quickly turned back to the floating fireball they were hiding, making it disappear.

            "They keep playing with magic around the other kids.  Hopefully we can beak them of the habit before they start school," Eiko said as her kids joined the others in playing tag.

            "So are you two planning on having any kids?" Eiko asked Steiner and Beatrix.

            "Eventually, we aren't in a rush," Steiner answered as Beatrix blushed.

            "Actually, we should have one in about seven months," Beatrix admitted.  Steiner stood there dumbfounded by the news.

            "Mommy, look at me!"  A child shouted from the playground as he did a backflip.

            "He's pretty good for only being five years old," Zidane admitted as he watched the child do several difficult acrobatic moves without falling.

            "Quit showing off Travis!" Nathan shouted.  The child stopped and smiled, then went back to play with the others. 

            "Let him play, it's just a game to him," Mikoto said as she calmed her husband.

            "You named him after your brother," Kuja nodded in approval.

            "Yeah, where've you been for the last five years anyway?" Nathan asked .

            "Wandering.  Contemplating life and existence," Kuja said as he stared off into space.  "He would be proud you named the child after him," Kuja told Nathan.  "He touched me, took something out of me before he defeated Garland.  I've been in touch with what he was like since then," Kuja explained.

            "Thank you," Nathan nodded.   

            "He's never coming back, you know.  He's still alive though, I can feel it," Kuja said as he looked skyward.

            "He saved all of us.  I hope I get to see him again after I die," Nathan said as he looked skyward as well.  "But that won't be for a long time, I plan on living this life for him," Nathan said as he hugged his wife, happy to be among friends.


	28. Canto 2 : Gaia : Summary

The Song of Eternity

Canto 2 : Gaia

For more info on Amarant, Lani, Eiko, Deklin, Kuja, and Deke, go read the canto 1 summary.  Anyway, here goes the canto 2 summary.

The aforementioned characters return from Parm to find Gaia has changed and is being ruled by a reborn Garland and several WEAPONs.  Deke gets captured and tortured by the Terrans while the others converge at Treno.  There they meet Nathan Starmore, the brother of Travis Starmore (Deke).  Nathan has been leading the fight against Terra for the last few years.

Garland tries to use Travis to lure the others in.  During his execution the others retake all the cities and he breaks free and nearly destroys the Terran city.  Battles between the heroes and WEAPONs ensue, culminating in the battle against an incredibly powerful and indestructible Garland.  Travis comes back from the dead and saves everyone, then disappears.

Cliffhangers:

Travis and the Alpha WEAPON speak of a great battle on Earth, then Travis tells Nathan that most of Earth is dead.

Travis disappeared to chase down twelve other WEAPONs Garland sent to other worlds.

Here are the verses:

**_Returned to what they once left,_**

**_The daughter returns home,_**

**_To find the truth about her brother,_**

**_Too late to save him._**

**_The destroyer returned to the land full of his enemies,_**

**_Unable to defend himself,_**

**_Taken in by those who would kill him,_**

**_If not for one._**

**_Back in the land where the wheels were set in motion,_**

**_Long thought dead,_**

**_Gazing upon their own memorials,_**

**_Surprised by a ghost from the past._**

**_Helpless in the land of his greatest enemy,_**

**_Alive because of the evil of one man,_**

**_He is used to tempt the hope of the world._**

**_They join to save their world,_**

**_Each realizing that they cannot save him,_**

**_Reconciling on the way._**

**_They spread to the ends of the land,_**

**_To retake what was once theirs,_**

**_At the cost of the life of the one._**

**_The evil one makes a mistake,_**

**_Angering the one,_**

**_Letting emotion control his actions,_**

**_Losing advantage in the war._**

**_Others scramble to take advantage of the situation,_**

**_To secure their own positions,_**

**_As the mortal enemies end their feud._**

**_Faced with destruction,_**

**_Fearful of the forces against him,_**

**_In desperation he activates his two fail-safes._**

**_They grow closer,_**

**_And reaffirm their feelings,_**

**_Making up for lost time,_**

**_And past mistakes,_**

**_With the backdrop of Armageddon raging around them._**

**_The hero has fallen for the third time,_**

**_The evil one approaches the gathered heroes._**

**_They battle,_**

**_Knowing they cannot win,_**

**_Trying to save those they love._**

**_Unable to defeat the foe,_**

**_Hope is lost._**

**_He takes all their sadness on himself,_**

**_And lives in darkness forever._**


	29. Canto 3 : The Return of Sephiroth : Vers...

**_The Song of Eternity_**

****

**_Canto 3_**

****

**_The Return of Sephiroth_**

****

**_Verse 1_**

****

**_An End to All_**

****

**_The evil one returns,_**

**_His mind still warped by the taint,_**

**_And his body tainted by a new power._**

**_His foes disappear as he builds an army,_**

**_As one sleeps, as he has done before,_**

**_To be awoke in a brave new world._**

****

_3 Years After the Meteor Incident_

            "Shit!  We're in a lot of trouble here!"  Cid's voice shouted over the intercom of the Highwind.  "The engine is blown to shit, this baby ain't gonna fly no more.  You maybe got another five minutes Spikey.  Better find a place to put us down!"  Cid shouted as deafening explosion came over the intercom, followed by intense cursing.

            "Any place to land near here?"  Cloud asked the pilot as the Highwind began to lose altitude.

            "Sure, tons.  Only problem is once we land, he'll be on us in a minute," the pilot explained as he gestured at the radar and kept the airship going at full speed.

            "Great, just great," Cloud said as he went to the intercom.  "Everyone, get the wounded  ready for transport.  We are going to be hitting the ground hard and will need to evacuate and split up once we land.  Hopefully some of us can escape," he ordered as the ship rocked from another explosion.  "What was that?" Cloud shouted over the intercom.

            "We've been hit hard in the engine room!" Cid shouted.  "The engine is gone, we need to get on the ground, this bird won't stay up for much longer," Cid's voice died as all power in the Highwind failed.

            "Where are we?" Cloud asked the pilot who was furiously pulling at the controls, slowing the descent.

            "Couple miles from Junon," the pilot said as he looked out the window.

            "Fine, land it as close as you can.  Hopefully we can lose him in the city," Cloud said as he ran from the bridge.  He ran down to the meeting room which they converted into an infirmary.  "We are going down people.  We'll be crashing near Junon in a minute or two, so get ready," Cloud ordered as he rushed to Tifa.  She was lying on the floor, bleeding from a wicked sword gash across her torso.  "Tifa, are you okay?"

            "She's in shock, foo," Barret explained as he cradled his own injured arm.  The gun that he usually had for an arm was gone, it had been severed in the battle they were escaping from.  "You go get her to a doctor when we land.  We'll try to get away too, but we're a little immobilized here," Barret said as he motioned at the others.

            Nanaki was bleeding profusely, but limping around.  Yuffie and Elena were draped overtop of Cait Sith, who was still functioning, despite having many wires exposed and damaged.  Reno was leaning heavily on Rude, both were bleeding from dozens of wounds.  Reno's arm was broken.

            "Okay everybody, we need to split up and lay low for a while, don't go getting yourselves killed," Cloud said as he knelt by Tifa.  "How did it come to this?" Cloud said aloud.

            "Simple foo.  We thought we were safe and didn't need material no more," Barret grimaced before the Highwind hit the ground hard.

_Six Years After the Meteor Incident_

            "What day is it?" a man asked the bartender.

            "Friday?  Yeah, that's it, Friday," the bartender replied as he struggled to think of it himself.  "Friday…February 14th…..Why does that ring a bell?"  The bartender shook his head as he tried to remember something.  The bartender looked around his dingy place as he tried to jog his memory.  There were a few patrons still there, but most of them had gone home for the night.  As the sun came up he ushered the remaining patrons to the door.  "You don't gotta go home, but you can't stay here," he said as he locked the door behind the drunks.

            He came back into the back and went behind the bar to check his profits.  "Barely enough to stay open," he said in disgust as he slammed the cash register.  He turned around and looked at himself in the mirror.  He was about six feet tall with long red hair tied back in a ponytail.  He looked down at his right arm which was covered in black cloth and remembered what was so special about the day.

            "That's it!  The stiff!" he shouted as he left the main bar area.  He walked to the stairs to the basement and climbed down into the darkness.  "Let there be light," he joked as he flipped on a flashlight and walked to the far wall of the basement.  "Here goes nothing," he said as he pried open some loose boards to reveal a strange looking coffin.  He pulled on the handle until it was removed from it's hiding place in the wall.  "Heavy S.O.B.," he swore as he wiped the sweat from his head.  "Rise and shine," he said as he opened the coffin, getting the first glimpse of its occupant in five years.

            He stepped back to look at the person in the coffin.  He had long black hair and a pale face.  He was covered in a red cape, except for where a metal claw that was his left hand lay uncovered.  Suddenly his eyes opened, shining a dull red in the darkness.  Before the bartender knew what was going on, there was a gun pointed at his head.

            "Whoa, easy there dead man walking.  It's been five years, it was time to wake you up, just like you wanted," the bartender explained as the man lowered his gun.  "You're really him aren't you?  Vincent Valentine," the bartender said in awe as it finally dawned on him.

            "Yes, so what?" Vincent asked as he stood up and stretched.

            "There's a ten million gil reward for you, dead or alive.  Has been for the last three years," the bartender explained as he led Vincent up the stairs.  "But, you did give me the bar, so I just left you alone," the bartender joked as he took a seat on a bar stool.

            "Ten million?  Why?"  Vincent asked as he tried to make sense of everything.  "I went into suspended animation again because of the demons.  I've been underground for the last five years, who wants me dead?"

            "Oh yeah, you were asleep when that happened too," the bartender said as he realized something.  "Here, take a seat too, you might need it," he said as he offered Vincent a bottle of wine from behind the bar.  After Vincent was settled down, the bartender continued.  "A year after I put you down there, some guy named Sephiroth appeared in the Northern Crater.  Long story short, he's in charge of everything and everyone now.  He's building an army, preparing for some unknown enemy, keeping every beat down, you know , the usual.  He's got prices out on your head along with half a dozen or so others."

            "What do you mean Sephiroth took over.  What about Avalanche?"  Vincent asked as he rubbed his head.

            "Oh yeah, Strife and the others.  They went to fight him, but since there was no materia left, they got beat pretty bad.  Those others that are wanted, rumor has it that some of those people he wants dead are from Avalanche," the bartender explained.  "You can stay here as long as you want, just try not to wreck the place."

            "Who are you?"  Vincent asked as he absorbed all the information.

            "No idea, lost my memory when the lifestream came up in Midgar.  They all call me Keep here.  You know, barkeep," he smiled at Vincent.  "Welcome back Mr. Valentine."


	30. Canto 3 : The Return of Sephiroth : Vers...

**_The Song of Eternity_**

****

**_Canto 3_**

****

**_The Return of Sephiroth_**

****

**_Verse 2_**

****

**_Into the Fire_**

****

**_He gathers his sense,_**

**_Planning on how to survive in the new world._**

**_The one who brought him back stands up himself,_**

**_And they face to soldiers._**

****

            Vincent Valentine sat at the bar half a day after Keep woke him up.  He sat hunched on his stool, staring into the glass of brandy in front of him.  Keep had given him a new black cloak to cover up his signature red clothes.  Vincent kept his claw close to his body and out of sight.  He had ventured around the city earlier and found one of his wanted posters.  There had to be dozens of bounty hunters looking for a man with a golden claw.

            He swirled the ice in the glass around as he tried to make sense of things.  Following the death of Sephiroth and the destruction of Meteor he took his PHS and separated from the group.  He spent a lot of time wandering around between Nibelheim and Lucretia's cave.  Several months later he got a call and went to meet the others in Midgar.

            The city had been wrecked by Meteor, but was in livable condition.  Reeve, the Turks, and the rest of AVALANCHE were helping in the process.  Cloud gave Vincent a mission.  They all wanted to stop the exploitation of the lifestream.  They already shut down the mako reactors.  Cloud and Cid had been busy over the last few months.  They had bought **all the materia on the planet and searched all the reactors and mako springs for every last piece.**

            Cloud wanted him to get rid of all of it.  He wanted Vincent to go dump it in the lifestream, then hide the huge material where no one would find them.  Vincent agreed with the plan.  He did not like mako or material any more than others, if possible he hated it more, due to its connection to Hojo.  Vincent remembered encountering a man wandering around aimlessly as he was on his way out of Midgar.  

            "That's where we met," Vincent said out loud.  It caused Keep to walk over from behind the bar to him.  "Nothing, just remembering," Vincent explained.  Keep shrugged and walked back to the other customers.  Vincent remembered that Keep had a sword with him at the time, he wondered where it was now.  When he met Keep, he was having trouble controlling Chaos and the other demons inside himself.  He gave Keep all of his gil, feeling some sort of trust for the man.  He told Keep to open a bar and wait for his return. 

            Vincent left Midgar, wondering if he had done the right thing.  He made his way to Mideel and dumped the materia into the lifestream there.  He did not dump all of it though.  He hoped there would never be the need for the power the materia controlled, but he wanted to be safe, just in case.  He kept all three master materia as well as one of each other type.  He went to Cosmo Canyon afterwards and took the huge materia to Junon by way of chocobo cart.  Once there he transported the materia to the crashed gelinka by way of submarine.

            After his task was completed he returned to Midgar and informed Cloud of everything but the materia he kept.  He wandered the city until he found the bar Keep had opened.  He had Cid bring his suspended animation chamber (coffin) from the Shinra mansion the next day.  He and Keep took it to the basement once it arrived.  He told Keep that he wanted him to keep him hidden for five years.  Keep asked why and Vincent explained about the demons.  Keep was silent for a bit then asked how Vincent kept them from taking over.  Vincent said three words that stayed with Keep for the next five years.  "Do not kill."

            As far as Vincent could tell, a year after his death Sephiroth reappeared in the Northern Crater.  AVALANCHE went to fight him and crash landed at Junon during their retreat.  No one really knew who survived and who died, but there were wanted posters for Cloud, Tifa, Barret, and Reno all over Midgar.  Following the disappearance of AVALANCHE Sephiroth took over all the cities and ruled from the rebuilt Shinra tower.  He restarted the SOLDEIR program and had been building up forces for the last five years, supposedly for the day when his enemy arrived.  

            Vincent's gaze turned to the end of the bar where a pair of SOLDIERs were harassing an old man.  "Get out of here old man, this is our town," the one said as he pushed the old man to the ground.  

            The other pulled a gun and pointed it at the old man's head.  "You wouldn't want me to have to do anything drastic would you?  You should learn not to bad-mouth those of us who work for Sephiroth," the man sneered as he prepared to fire.  The shot rang out, but hit the ceiling as Keep cracked the gun with the upward motion of a mop handle before the shot was fired.  

            Several people in the bar cheered, but fell silent as the SOLDIERs turned their attention to Keep.  "House rules, no killing," Keep said calmly as he cleaned a glass.

            "Do you know who you are messing with, bartender?" the one with the gun asked as he pointed it at Keep.

            "A couple of losers with nothing better to do than to pick on an old man," Keep said as he set the glass down.  "I'm sick of you SOLDIERs coming in here and starting shit.  You will behave yourselves in my establishment."

            "I read a report about you," the other said as he pulled out a pair of brass knuckles.  "We are authorized to use force to make an example of you if you cross anyone in SOLDIER one more time.  Guess this isn't your lucky day."

            "Every day is my lucky day," Keep said as he grabbed the gun from the one SOLDIER's hand and dropped it on the floor in pieces.

            "You bastard!"  The SOLDIER shouted as he grabbed Keep and pulled him over the bar to the main part of the restaurant.  "This'll teach you!"  The SOLDIERs shouted as they took turns delivering blows to Keep's face and torso.  Vincent looked at the situation, preparing to start firing, but noticed something.  Keep wasn't breathing hard.  He was slowly edging his way to the door as the blows hit him.  He reached back and opened the door as the two SOLDIERs stood in front of him and he stood in front of the door.  

            The one who he disarmed earlier swung at his face, but met nothing but air as Keep ducked and delivered an elbow to the back of the SOLDIERs head, knocking him out the door.  "You can make this easy or hard," Keep said as he faced the other SOLDIER.  The SOLDIER swung at him, only to meet the same fate as his partner.  "Don't let the door hit ya where god split ya," he shouted as he closed the door behind them.  "Yo, dead man, come here," he called for Vincent. 

            "Yes?"

            "Make like a bouncer for a while okay?" Keep asked without waiting for an answer as he walked back to the bar.  Vincent shrugged and watched the door for the next three hours, contemplating the situation he was in.  Around two in the morning the bar was almost empty and Vincent heard something outside.  

            "Keep, something's going on," he shouted to the bartender.  The bartender walked to the door and listened for a minute.  

            "Breaking glass?"  Keep pondered the situation until he and Vincent smelled something.  "Fire!  Everyone get outta here!"  Keep shouted as Vincent herded the remaining patrons to the door.  They spilled out onto the street and were met by the scene of the two SOLDIERs, along with half a dozen more SOLDIERs tossing Molotov cocktails at the bar.  "What the hell is wrong with you?  You're a bunch of f*cking pussies!"  Keep shouted at them, soliciting the burst of gunfire that caused him and Vincent to retreat back into the bar.

            "Great, just great," Keep said as he tried to think of how long they had until the bar was totally engulfed in flames.  "Shit, this place is toast," he muttered as he sat down on a stool.  "Oh well.  This city was getting old anyway," he laughed as he grabbed a black trench coat and his sword from behind the bar.  "What's the plan, boss man?"

            "Fight our way out of here.  Try to find the rest of AVALANCHE before Sephiroth finds us," Vincent said as he readied his Death Penalty.  "I've never seen a sword like that before," he commented as Keep stretched his arm.

            "Me either," Keep replied as he gazed at his weapon.  It was a thick red blade full of nicks and scratches.  "Found it in the rubble where I woke up after Meteor.  No idea if it's even mine.  Let's go teach these SOLDIERs a lesson," he said as he headed to the door.  "Ready?" he asked as Vincent pointed his gun out the door.  He nodded and kicked the door open as Vincent fired off several shots quickly, downing some SOLDIERs.

            Vincent rushed out the door, eyeing up his enemies.  Two were on the ground from his bullets already.  There were another six pulling out swords, guns, and other various weapons.  They split up, three going towards Vincent and the other three towards Keep.  Vincent figured Keep could handle himself and concentrated on the three SOLDIERs in front of him.  He rolled to the right as one started shooting and two others with swords flanked him.  He pulled up to shoot and frowned as one moved making the bullet miss it's mark.  He got a good look at their eyes as he squeezed off his next shot, grazing the arm of the one with the gun.  Mako, he thought to himself.  

            Immediately realizing they were more of a threat than he initially thought he flipped backwards and blasted them with Ultima.  They fell to the ground injured and surprised, like they had never seen magic before.  They tried to get up, but Vincent was there in a flash and had his Death Penalty pointed at them.  "Drop the weapons, hands behind your heads," he ordered as the SOLDIERs complied.  He glanced over in time to see Keep deal with the last of his opponents.

            "Did you kill them?" Vincent asked as he saw the pools of blood forming around the SOLDIERs.

            "No, just cut their tendons and took their weapons," Keep explained as one of the SOLDIERs rolled in pain.  "Remember when you told me about your demons?  How you keep them at bay by not killing?  Well, you know your demons and how to control them.  I have something inside me, trying to get out.  I can feel it whenever I fight, so I try to take it easy and keep it deep inside me," Keep explained.     

            "You are strange," Vincent said.  

            "What do we do with them?" 

            "Leave them here to take care of their comrades while we escape," Vincent said as Keep nodded in agreement.  Keep raised his right arm and brought it down on the back of two of the three's heads, knocking them out.  "You better go take care of your friends before they die," he ordered as he kicked the SOLDIER back.

            "Enjoy it while you can Valentine.  Sephiroth will find you and make you pay," the SOLDIER said as he stood up and brushed himself off.  

            "You tell him I will kill him for good this time," Vincent said as he turned around and walked away.  

            Keep turned to follow Vincent and walked with him.  "You have materia, don't you?" he asked.  Vincent nodded in reply.  "That stuff is so rare, you could buy an entire city with just one of them.  The only people with them are the SOLDIERs now."  They walked in silence for a bit until Vincent stopped and looked around, lost.  "Five years, been a long time, lots of rebuilding.  Follow me, I'll get us out of here quick," Keep said as he headed off again.  "Where're we going anyway?"

            "Kalm for supplies, then south through the caves.  We need to go to Junon, then maybe to Wutai.  We need to try to find the others," Vincent said, trying to think of where his friends would hide.

            "Whatever you say, you're the boss."


	31. Canto 3 : The Return of Sephiroth : Vers...

**_The Song of Eternity_**

****

**_Canto 3_**

****

**_The Return of Sephiroth_**

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**_Verse 3_**

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**_Old Friend_**

****

**_They flee the city of darkness,_**

**_Chased by the glowing eyes of the enemy,_**

**_Through lands once called home,_**

**_Finding an old friend along the way._**

****

            Vincent and Keep stood at the edge of the area where the Midgar Zolems lived.  "I don't see anything," Keep said as he poked the sand with his sword.  "Vincent, I hate to break it to you, but I don't think any huge monstrous snakes live here," he said as he sheathed his sword and faced Vincent.

            Vincent eyed the sand nervously while going over their limited supplies in his head.  "We'll have to try to cross.  Hopefully we won't encounter one, but we can't stay here, the SOLDIERs will find us soon," he concluded as he pulled out his Death Penalty.  "Let's get moving," he ordered as Keep followed him across the sand.  

            They were almost across the sand when a gigantic snake burst out of the sand in front of them.  "Oh, that snake," Keep said as he gazed up at the monster.  The snake struck quickly, trying to bite Keep, but he rolled out of the way at the last second.  "A little help here," he panted as he got to his feet and pulled out his sword.

            Vincent stayed silent as he targeted the Zolem and began firing off a rapid succession of shots.  Blood sprayed from the wounds the bullets made as they ripped into the Zolem.  The creature roared in pain and swung it's tail at Vincent.  Vincent jumped into the air as the tail swung by underneath him harmlessly.  He landed silently on the sand and blasted the Zolem with Bolt3.  The creature rushed at him at full speed, but suddenly jerked to a halt before it could bite it's prey.  Vincent gazed at the tail of the creature where Keep had his sword stuck into the tail, pinning the creature to the ground.  Vincent quickly took aim and shot the snake in the head, spilling it's brains all over the sand.

            "Thought you said you tried not to kill things," Keep commented as he wiped his sword off in the sand and grass.

            "It was necessary.  It would not have stopped until we were dead," Vincent explained as he holstered his gun.  Vincent noticed Keep standing there, looking at the Zolem with his fists clenched.  "Are you okay?"

            "No.  Every time I fight, or even see something die, I feel something in me.  Like something clawing at my soul, trying to get to the surface," Keep said as he looked away.  "I know it was a monster and all, but I still feel it."

            "I understand," Vincent replied as they ventured into the mines.

            "I don't think anyone is home," Keep said as he gazed up the rock shaft at Fort Condor.  They had traveled through the mines nonstop and now were at Fort Condor around noon.  "Last I heard, this place was abandoned a couple years back when they couldn't get more Mako from it," Keep explained as he kicked at a rock.

            "Someone is here," Vincent replied.  "I saw a light in one of the upper windows.  It went out when we got close.  Look at the shaft, can't you see the tracks," he pointed at some scuff marks on the wall.

            Keep stepped close to the wall and examined a scratch.  "Looks like someone walked right up the wall.  Oh, a rope, they climbed up," he reasoned as he looked around the dirt by their feet.  "Slight problem, no rope," he shrugged.

            "Then we climb," Vincent said as he sunk his claw into the rock.  "I'll throw you a rope down," he said over his shoulder to Keep.  

            "I can climb," Keep replied as he drove his right arm, the one always covered in cloth into the opposite wall.  They both let each other to their own devices and slowly climbed the rock shaft leaving a trail of indentations on the way up.  Eventually Vincent reached to top and helped pull Keep out of the shaft.

            "What did you do, punch a hole in the rock?"  Vincent asked as Keep covered and rewrapped his arm.

            "Something like that.  So what's the plan?"  Keep asked as he looked around the old fort.

            "We need to look for a sign of whoever is or was here," Vincent said as he examined the ground for footprints.

            "You damn foo's, were loud enough to wake the dead.  You're lucky we're on the same side," a familiar voice shouted as a black man descended the closest ladder.  "Valentine, where the hell have you been?"

            "Nice to see you too Barret," Vincent replied to his old friend.  Barret's face looked older and his hair was going grey in some areas.  His gun arm was missing as well, ending in a stump a couple inches up his forearm.  "Let's sit down, I assume we all have a lot to say," Vincent suggested.

            A couple minutes later they were sitting at a table near the window so they could see if anyone was approaching.  "So where have you been Vincent?" Barret asked as he noticed the lack of change in Vincent.

            "Suspended animation again.  Chaos was getting too strong for me to handle," Vincent explained.  "I paid him," he gestured at Keep," to wake me up five years after I went under."

            "Then we had a run in with some SOLDIERs and my bar got destroyed.  So we had to leave Midgar in a hurry," Keep finished.  "Who are you anyway?  I swear I know the face, but can't place a name with it."

            "He's Barret Wallace.  One of the founding members of AVALANCHE," Vincent explained.  "What happened Barret?  Sephiroth is alive, and we are all wanted by him and his SOLDIERs."  Vincent scratched his head in confusion as he thought of the situation more and more.

            "Three years ago we got word that something was seen up in the Northern Crater.  Witnesses said it resembled Sepiroth, so we went to check it out with the Turks.  They were working for Reeve at the time, so they behaved themselves.  Anyway when we got there, somehow he was alive and more powerful than before," Barret paused as he remembered the battle.  "Since we gave you all the materia, we never stood a chance.  I got my gun arm cut off, Tifa and the others got cut up pretty bad, but we all got out of there alive."

            "He chased us though," Barret said as he remembered.  "The Highwind crashed near Junon.  We hid and recovered there, helpless to stop when Sephiroth took over.  We've been trying to shut down reactors and take out SOLDIER production plants, but there are too many and we are wanted everywhere," Barret explained as Keep looked out the window.

            "So why are you here in this crappy old place?"  Keep asked as he came back from the window.

            "Looking for materia.  We've been able to gather some, but nothing powerful enough to stop Sephiroth," Barret said as Keep nudged Vincent.

            "Cloud informed you that I destroyed all the materia, correct?"  Vincent asked Barret who nodded in response.  "I did not destroy all of it out of fear of a situation like this arising.  I kept all three master materias as well as one nearly mastered materia of every other kind," Vincent explained as he pulled a large pouch from his belt.  He opened it up, pouring dozens and dozens of the small orbs across the table.  "Most of them will duplicate in the time it takes to get to Junon," Vincent explained as Barret stared at the materia.

            "Let's get going to Junon then.  We can meet up with some of the others there and figure out what to do," Barret exclaimed as he stood up.  "You coming?"  He directed the question at Keep.

            "I guess so.  They're after me by now as well," he added as they walked to the shaft.  "Besides, maybe someone in Junon knows me from before Meteor."


	32. Canto 3 : The Return of Sephiroth : Vers...

**_The Song of Eternity_**

****

**_Canto 3_**

****

**_The Return of Sephiroth_**

****

**_Verse 4_**

****

**_Reunion_****__**

****

**_They arrive in the city,_**

**_Bringing hope with them,_**

**_Finally giving others a chance._**

****

            "I totally carry this team," Keep laughed to himself as he walked into the alley where Barret and Vincent were waiting.  "We're clear, no mako eyes anywhere," he informed them.  They exited the alley together and walked down the street with Barret in the lead.  Junon was much the same as it had been before Meteor.  The only changes Sephiroth made were to build several mako reactors around the edge of the city.  

            "This way is usually pretty clear of SOLDIERs," Barret explained.  "But with three of us it was better to send the least known target out first in case," he said to Keep.

            "Target?  I'm touched…" he muttered as he tightened the bindings on his right hand. 

            "Regardless, the longer we stay out in the open, the greater the chance we will be spotted," Vincent said quietly as several townspeople stared at them.

            "Keep your pants on, we're almost there," Barret said as he walked down a side street.  They came to a dark run-down factory and Barret knocked on the door.  There was no response.  "Where the hell are they?  Someone's supposed to be at this door," he swore as he threw his hands up into the air in anger.  

            "Might wanna get it opened up quick there guys," Keep said as he glanced back at the street where several people were looking their way.

            "Allow me," Vincent said as he stepped up to the door.  He leaned back, then kicked the door open with his boot.  "The door is now open," he said as he walked into the dark factory.  Once they were all inside they closed the door and pushed a heavy crate in front of the door, barricading it.

            "That was a little much," Barret said as he pulled a spare gun arm from his bag and attached it to his stump.  "Much better," he said in relief as he felt the familiar weight.  "There might be a few monsters here and there, so stay on your toes," he ordered as he led the way through the factory.  "Thanks for the materia Valentine," he said to Vincent as he cast a small fire spell to light the way.

            "No problem," Vincent replied as he pulled out his Death Penalty.  They made their way silently through the darkness for a few minutes until Barret stopped at a ladder that led downward.  

            "Down here," Barret explained as he led the way down the ladder.  Eventually they stopped when the ladder ended in cold concrete floor.  "This way," Barret sighed as they continued to trudge onward in darkness.

            "Are we almost there?"  Vincent asked as he looked for a sign of life.

            "Soon, it's in an old area that was used to power the Junon cannon," Barret explained.

            "Should anything be down here besides a random monster or two," Keep asked as he looked into the shadows.  "Any SOLDIERs or things like that?"

            "Nope, this place should be totally empty," Barret said as Keep and Vincent stopped.

            "What do you think dead-man?"  Keep said to Vincent.

            "Don't kill them.  I'll take the one at 9 o'clock," Vincent said as Barret looked at them with a puzzled expression.  "Now," he nodded at Keep.  Vincent immediately swung his Death Penalty around and pointed it into the darkness to his left and walked forward as if chasing something.  Barret watched him go, finally hearing the sounds of a scuffle.  Vincent walked back to the light where Barret was with another figure in front of him at gunpoint.  Finally it was light enough and Vincent returned his gun to his side.  "You should be more careful Tifa," he said as he finally recognized his captive.  "Where's Keep?" he asked Barret.  Barret just shrugged and pointed off to the other side of the tunnel.  

Sounds of metal striking metal could be heard ringing through the tunnel as Keep and his target moved into the light in battle stances.  They took turns striking at each other, the opponent blocked Keep's attacks with his own sword as Keep blocked with his wrapped arm.  "Keep, stop!"  Vincent and Barret shouted.

"Tell him to stop then!" Keep shouted back as he dodged a slashing attack.  

            "Cloud, stop attacking him!" Tifa shouted at the blond haired mercenary.  

            They both stopped attacking each other, but did not lower their weapons.  "He's a SOLDIER," Keep shouted as he kept his sword ready to strike.

            "He's not a normal human," Cloud shouted to the others.  They both glared at each other, each unwilling to let their guard down.

            "Both of you, stand down.  You are on the same side," Vincent said, finally causing both of them to sheath their weapons.  The uneasily walked back to the others, keeping an eye on each other.  "Keep, this is Cloud Strife," Vincent introduced them to each other.  

            "He's supposed to be a SOLDIER?" Keep asked as he relaxed and adjusted the bindings on his arm.

            "Yes I am.  What's your story?" Cloud asked as he stepped to Tifa's side.

            "He was watching over where I was in suspended animation," Vincent explained.  

            "And the arm?  You blocked my sword with your arm," Cloud said as he pointed at where Keep was adjusting his bindings.

            "What's the big deal?  He's got a gun for an arm," he pointed at Barret.  "Dead-man has," he paused as he looked at Vincent.  "I don't even know what the deal is with his arm.  So my arm is a little metal, live with it," he said angrily.     

            "Getting little too serious here people," Barret said, trying to brighten the situation.  "Let's get to the base, we'll go over everything there," Barret said as he led the way down the tunnel.  He led the way, followed closely by Vincent and Keep, with Cloud and Tifa a little bit back.  As they walked Barret and Vincent talked to Keep.  

            "Anything else you need to fill us in on?"  Vincent asked him, meaning the arm.  

            "I'll show it once.  When we get to wherever we are going.  You of all people should know that it's a sore subject," he said to the two of them before walking faster and staying a couple feet away from the others.

            The tunnel finally ended at a ladder that went skyward.  Cloud and Tifa went up first, followed by Vincent, Keep, and Barret.  The ladder opened up into a room with a few tables, a couple dozen chairs, and a familiar stuffed moogle and cat.  "Barret and Vincent?  What a surprise," the cat said.

            "What the hell is that?"  Keep asked Vincent as he stared at Cait Sith.  

            "Introductions later foo," Barret said as he went to the door.  "You three, find the ninja and the dog and get in here!" he shouted at some figures outside the room.

            "Sit down, we'll go through the introductions for him once they get in here," Cloud said as he gestured at Keep.  Red XIII, Yuffie, Reno, Rude, and Elena came into the room together, surprised to see Vincent.  "Okay, now that we're all here, we need to fill him in," he pointed at Keep.

            "Just tell me who you are, I know what I'm here for," Keep said as recognized some descriptions from wanted posters.

            "Cloud Strife, leader of AVALANCHE.  I was experimented on, that's where the mako eyes came from," Cloud introduced himself.  He looked the same as he did from before the Meteor incident, with the exception of a few new scars on his face.

            "Tifa Lockheart-Strife," Tifa said to Keep.  She wore the same clothes as always, but a huge scar could be seen at the top of her tank top, running from shoulder to shoulder.  

            "Reeve.  Or Cait Sith, whatever you want.  I'm not really a cat, I'm just controlling it from Midgar.  I really work in the old Shinra building," the cat said from atop the moogle.  There were several spots where it appeared that the moogle had been ripped open and sewn together again.

            "Nanaki, or Red XIII."  Nanaki was larger than he was after Meteor.  His body was covered in dozens of battle scars as well.  Vincent noticed he walked with a limp when he came in the room.

            "Yuffie Kisaragi," the ninja greeted Keep cheerfully.  She had grown into a woman over the last six years, abandoning her old attire for black pants and a black top, fitting for a ninja.

            "I'm Elena.  They're Reno and Rude," Elena spoke for the three Turks.  They still wore the same blue suits a before Meteor, even though they were dirty and ripped in some places.  

            "Cid Highwind is out somewhere with what we pass off for an airship and you've already met Vincent and Barret," Cloud continued.  "Your turn," he directed to Keep.

            "Call me Keep.  I apparently lost my memory when Meteor almost hit Midgar.  After the incident I started a bar and woke him up a couple days ago," he gestured at Vincent.  "Then we had to fight some SOLDIERs who burnt the bar down.  And then we came here I guess," he shrugged.  "Then SOLDIER boy there and I got into a scuffle," he explained.  He then turned to Cloud and took a knife from his side.  "Here you go Strife," he said with anger as he sliced through the bindings around his right arm.

            Cloud and the others stared as the bindings fell away, revealing a forearm made of three metal rods, ending in a humanlike metal hand.  There was a soft glow of energy in between the three metal rods, almost like the lifestream.  "No idea what it means or how I got it, so if you ever hear of someone with something like this, fill me in," he explained.  He then pulled some more black cloth from his bag and rewrapped the arm until it was impossible to see his secret.

            "Back to business at hand," Vincent continued, feeling angry at the others for staring even though he had as well.  "I kept one of each materia in the event of something like this happening," Vincent explained as he pulled out a pouch and emptied it onto the table.  "So I suggest we start working on a plan to take out Sephiroth and his forces.  I am back and will help as well as I can, but I prefer to work alone.  Chaos is becoming too strong for me to control," Vincent admitted.

            Cloud nodded in understanding, realizing why Vincent went into suspended animation.  "What about you?  Are you staying here and helping or what?"  Cloud asked Keep. 

            "Can't go back to Midgar.  Don't know anyone else.  Being hunted by SOLDIERs.  What do you think?"  Keep replied sarcastically.  "I won't kill anyone though, so keep that in mind on missions," he explained to the others.

            "How about robots?"  Cloud smiled.


	33. Canto 3 : The Return of Sephiroth : Vers...

**_The Song of Eternity_**

****

**_Canto 3_**

****

**_The Return of Sephiroth_**

****

**_Verse 5_**

****

**_The Lifestream_**

****

**_Sent together to stop a plant of monstrosities,_**

**_Tied together by fate and circumstance,_**

**_They face their first challenge,_**

**_And are taken by surprise._**

****

            Keep, Vincent, and Red XII sat on the top of the grassy area above Junon.  "This is not gonna work," he said pessimistically.  

            "Sure it will.  Now that we've split the materia we have up, things should be a lot easier," Red replied to the newcomer.

            "First of all, I don't even think we'll get off the ground here.  SOLDIERs will be all over us before we can take off.  Second of all, do you really think we can pull this off?"  He looked at Vincent as he asked the question.

            "Take it easy Keep.  I'll be able to shoot any SOLDIERs before they get close.  And we have to try.  With the materia and our combined skills, we should be able to pull this off as long as there are no surprises," Vincent said before he looked up as if he heard a noise.  "Here's our ride," he stated as what looked like a modified Tiny Bronco flew close to the ground and hovered above them, dropping down a ladder.

            "Get you're asses up here, we ain't gonna be able to stay here all day!"  The voice of a lifelong smoker shouted at them from the cockpit.  They quickly ascended the ladder and took seats in the Tiny Bronco.  "Where the hell have you been?"  Cid questioned Vincent as the Tiny Bronco sped away from Junon through the sky.

            "Sleeping.  What did you do to the Tiny Bronco?" Vincent asked Cid as he examined the strange machinery attached to the plane.

            "Had to fix it up enough to get spike and the others wherever they've wanted.  It was a bitch to get it to hover," Cid explained as he expelled smoke through his nose.  "I've been hiding the thing near what's left of Nibelheim.  It's getting risky, you people better get your asses in gear and kill Sephiroth.  Now sit back while I crank it up to full power," Cid ordered as he tossed his cigarette out the window and closed it.  He hit a red button on the control panel causing the Tiny Bronco to lurch forward at an incredible rate of speed.

            "What did you do!?" Vincent shouted over the roar of the engines.

            "I worked on building a new rocket before Sephiroth attacked.  I had a lot of the fuel stashed away, so I use it to give this baby some kick!" Cid shouted back as the landscape went by below them.  "And, there we go!" Cid shouted as he cut off the rocket power and the Tiny Bronco slowed down.  "Grab the chutes under your seats and don't get yourself killed.  Radio me when you need picked up," Cid ordered as he pressed another button and a door in the back of the plane opened.  

            "See you in an hour Cid," Vincent replied before he fell from the plane.

            Red XIII followed closely behind him, pulling at the ripcord with his mouth.  Keep looked out the back of the plane, then back up at Cid.  "You have got to be kidding me!"  Keep shouted over the roar of the wind.  

            "Get your ass outta the plane," Cid said as he pulled up causing Keep to lose his balance and fall out the back of the plane.

            "This suuuuuucks!"  Keep screamed as the ground rushed up at him.  He rolled when he hit the ground, getting twisted up in his parachute.  "I'm getting too old for this," he laughed to himself as Nanaki and Vincent helped him out.  

            "You okay?"  Vincent asked as Keep finally got free of his parachute.

            "Super.  Let's get this over with," he said sarcastically.  Vincent and Nanaki ran off in front of Keep towards the building by the edge of a cliff near the ocean.  Keep saw the huge plumes of smoke pouring from the smokestacks and figured the building as the robotics plant.  He came to a stop beside the others as they stopped at the corner of the building.

            Vincent looked at the main entrance to the factory and pulled out a gun and carefully sighted it at a camera above the entrance.  He squeezed off a single shot, shattering the camera in junk.  "Let's go, quickly," he ordered as they ran together to the door with weapons drawn.  "Keep, door," Vincent ordered as he scouted the area for enemies.

            "Gotcha," Keep replied as he kicked the door open and Vincent fired half a dozen shots into the darkness.  "Clear!"  Keep shouted as he stuck his head in the door.  They entered quickly and made their way deeper towards the center of the factory.  "There it is," Keep pointed at the mako reactor powering the assembly line for Sephiroth's machine warriors.

            "We've been spotted," Nanaki pointed out as several machines began to come to life and move towards them.  "Vincent, go plant the bomb, then call Cid for pickup," Nanaki ordered as Vincent dashed to the reactor leaving Nanaki and Keep alone with several robots.  "Time to go to work," Nanaki laughed as he charged into battle against the robots.

            "Just what I've been waiting for," Keep replied as he faced off with a few machines.  Nanaki was making short work of his opponents, but more and more were awakening and they could hear Vincent shooting at some down by the reactor.  Keep was demolishing the half dozen closest to him, finally jumping over the rail to go help Vincent.

            "Valentine, we gotta go!  These tin men are waking up!"  Keep shouted as he sliced through several robots with a single swing.  He was sweating profusely.  Not because of exertion, because he was liking what he was doing.  He finally made his way to Vincent and covered his back while Vincent armed the bomb.

            "There, time to go," Vincent replied as he finished arming the bomb.  Keep looked at the device, looking past it where some parts of the lifestream the reactor ran on could be seen though the floor.

            "Should that be doing that?" he asked Vincent who turned back to him after blasting a dozen machines with Bolt3.  

            Vincent's eyes got wide as the lifestream started to seep upwards through the floor.  "Run!  Now!"  He shouted as he and Keep took off at a dead sprint to where they could hear Nanaki fighting.  "Nanaki!  Run now, the lifestream is bubbling up like in Mideel!"  Nanaki heard Vincent and immediately unleashed a Bahamut summon, destroying several machines near him.  

            The three of them ran to the door with Nanaki in front, followed by Vincent and Keep.  Nanaki continually kept blast machines out of their way with what little materia he had, while Vincent kept shooting with one hand and shouted at Cid through the radio in his other hand.  "Cid!  Get down here now!"  All Keep and the others could hear was intense swearing as a response.  

            Finally they came to the door and burst out of it into the daylight to find themselves surrounded.  No less than three dozen SOLDIERs circled around them, with Sephiroth himself standing there looking at them in amusement.  "Brilliant work, you almost got away…pitiful creatures.  You, Vincent Valentine, what was it you said about killing me for good?"  Sephiroth laughed as he pulled out his masamune.

            Vincent noticed the dark spot of the Tiny Bronco coming closer and closer from the west with it's ladder dangling from the back and hoped no one else did.  "You are my greatest mistake Sephiroth.  The son of the woman I loved, gone mad, killing innocent people.  You are my son.  I will stop you," Vincent said as he quickly pulled up and took a single shot at Sephiroth's head.

            The bullet stopped in the air an inch from his head and did not move until Sephiroth plucked it from the air and threw it to the ground.  "Nice try.  Too bad I am too far above you mere mortals now," Sephiroth laughed as he studied his enemies.  His eyes rested on Keep and froze.  "The bartender…there is something about him…agghh," Sephiroth howled in pain as he fell to his knees and clutched his head.

            "Hit them and let's get out of here," Nanaki said as he and Vincent unleashed spells at Sephiroth and his forces, stunning them.  

            "There's the ladder, grab it and hurry," Keep shouted as the building behind them began to explode and sink into the lifestream.  Nanaki ran up the ladder quickly as Vincent and Keep hung on for dear life as the tiny Bronco slowly flew over the emerging lifestream away from the SOLDIERs.

            "Kill them!"  Keep and Vincent looked back in time to see a barrage of bullets and magic spells coming their way.  

            "Shit!"  Keep shouted as the blast impacted both of them, not killing them.  Keep realized he suddenly felt very light and looked up as the Tiny Bronco sailed away though the air.  The ladder had been severed by the attack.  Keep looked down in time to see the lifestream swallow him and Vincent.


	34. Canto 3 : The Return of Sephiroth : Vers...

**_The Song of Eternity_**

****

**_Canto 3_**

****

**_The Return of Sephiroth_**

****

**_Verse 6_**

****

**_Making Peace_**

****

**_Lost in the soul of the world,_**

**_He comes face to face with a soul from his past,_**

**_And comes to grips with what he has become._**

**_They go together to find the lost one,_**

**_Finding more than they ever expected._**

****

            "Wake up Vincent," a voice cut through the darkness shrouding his mind.  He opened his eyes and gazed around at his surroundings.  The last thing he remembered was falling into the lifestream with Keep.  He looked down at the ground, frowning as he realized that it ended ten feet away from him in any direction.  He gazed over the edge, seeing that his small island of plain rock was floating in a huge sea of lifestream.  He looked up, puzzled, wondering what was going on, noticing that there was a bubble of air around him for hundreds of feet.  "Weird, isn't it," came the voice from behind him.

            Vincent turned around to see the last thing he expected.  Chaos himself, the huge winged demon that had been trapped inside him for the latter half of his life had settled down on the rock, folding it's wings behind it's back, looking annoyed.  "You," he stuttered as he pulled out his Death Penalty and pointed it at the demon.

            "Take it easy Valentine," the demon said angrily.  "I don't think it would be wise to shoot me," he reasoned as he revealed a small cut on his shoulder.  "Take a look at yourself," he suggested as he walked over to the edge and peered into the lifestream.

            Vincent reached under his shirt and pulled out his hand with blood all over it.  "What is going on?" 

            "You got shot as your sorry ass fell into the lifestream and somehow I got hurt too.  Which leads me to think it would be best that neither of us kill each other, as much as we would like to do it," the demon explained.  "As far as I can tell, we are in an air bubble somewhere in the lifestream.  It extends about a hundred feet in each direction before it turns back into lifestream.  As to how we got here, or why this improbable place exists, your guess is as good as mine," the demon conceded as it looked back at Vincent.

            "You woke me up then?  I heard a voice," Vincent said to his dark half.

            "Wasn't me," Chaos replied as it looked around for another sign of life.  "Musta dreamt it, there's no one else here, not even that bartender you met up with."

            "Keep is safe for now, leaving us enough time to sort through the mess the two of you are in," a feminine voice said from nowhere. 

"It was us who woke you up, Vincent Valentine," another feminine voice chimed in.

"Who are you," Vincent asked the air surrounding them.

"Oh, sorry about that.  I've been dead for so long I forgot you couldn't see me," the voice laughed.  A figure shimmered into view and solidified in front of Vincent and Chaos in a familiar pink dress.  "Let me help you," Aeris said to the air beside her as she moved her hands and another form appeared, this one with short spiked blue hair and tribal tattoos up and down her arms.

"The Ancient," Chaos growled as he took a step back.

"Aeris, what's going on here?"  Vincent questioned the flower girl as she looked away from her companion at Vincent.            

"Well, the planet was trying to get you and Keep down here to deal with some things, so we had to make the lifestream bubble up and grab you," she explained as if it was nothing.  "We'll deal with your problems first, then we need to go help your friend."

"Who's she?"  Chaos asked as he continued to back away from the women.

"Fiona Starmore.  I'm dead too, I guess," the blue haired woman replied.

"Okay, first order of business, get this whole demon thing sorted out," Aeris said nonchalantly.  

            "I will not be sorted out," Chaos said angrily as he stood at the edge of the small island.

            "We aren't going to hurt you, take it easy," Aeris said reassuringly.

            "What do you mean, sort out this 'demon thing'?"  Vincent asked as he finally holstered his weapon.

            "Well, the planet has been listening to the song and found out how important you uhhh, five I guess, are," Aeris said as she tried to remember how many demons Vincent had.  

            "The song…  It is undecipherable," Chaos replied questioningly.

            "No, you just have to be dead, close to death, or the soul of a planet to understand it," Aeris explained.

            "Or like Travis," Fiona added.

            "Oh, yeah.  Or you can be like him too, but let's get ahead of ourselves.  Anyway, the planet needs you two to stop fighting each other and stop Sephiroth and other threats like him," Aeris explained.

            "I tried and failed to kill my son twice, it cannot be done.  What is this song you speak of?"  Vincent asked the two young (dead) women.

            "The song is the story of the universe.  The tale of what is, was, and will be.  You really can only hear it between dimensions unless you know what you are doing," Fiona explained.

            "And you did kill Sephiroth the first time.  Then something entered this dimension and reanimated his body, since it was the strongest left on the planet.  But there were enough Jenova cells left alive in him to let him take over the body, but the paranoid delusions he has a result of the other being and it's really quite confusing," Aeris said as she ran out of breath.

            "Right…  He is still to strong for us to stop," Vincent replied.

            "That is being taken care of right now by Cloud and the others, they've been making a weapon with the huge materia you hid.  It should be done soon enough.  Anyway, you two need to get your acts together and go help them blow up his SOLDEIR factories and WEAPON projects," Aeris explained.  She waved her arm at the lifestream, causing it to change into the image of the undersea area where the Emerald WEAPON was defeated.  "They've almost finished salvaging it.  Once they get it up and running, you won't stand much of a chance."

            "What about the other WEAPONs?"  Vincent asked as he remembered the other four WEAPONs that were destroyed six years ago.

            "They're operational by now, but Reeve built a self destruct system into them and will blow them before they cause any damage.  But he has been taken off the Emerald project, which means big trouble for your friends," Aeris explained.  "So you two need to stop resisting each other and do your best to stop Sephiroth's forces."

            "Stop resisting?  Stop resisting!  This is a bloodthirsty demon, he would kill the world if he had the chance!  I'm doing all I can to keep him inside of me!"  Vincent shouted at the women as he pointed at Chaos.

            "He is correct.  I will eventually take his body as my own and destroy everything on the planet," Chaos smirked.

            "But the problem is that the two of you are different sides of a coin.  You can influence and stop each other if you choose.  The song says a lot about you two.  You're going to be around for a while, but you need to get along.  If you do get along, you will eventually be free of each other and able to live your own lives," Aeris explained.  "You just need to take care of some problems for the planet first."

            Vincent and Chaos stood there silently, staring at Aeris.  "I think they agree.  Let's get on the big business," Fiona said as she looked down at the ground under them.

            "Okay," Aeris agreed as she made all four of them suddenly float up into the air.  The land they were on lifted out of the lifestream and slowly flipped over in front of them, revealing a disturbing sight.  The underside was a featureless black sphere.

            "What the hell is that?"  Vincent and Chaos asked simultaneously.  

            "That's where we are going," Aeris said cheerfully as she made all four of them dive down into the sphere.  

            Vincent looked around to find himself in Keep's old bar from Midgar.  The place was filled with several shadowy figures, Chaos, the women, and Keep himself behind the bar.  "What is this?"

            "This is his psyche," Fiona explained as she pointed at Keep.  "Go talk to him, see if you can get through to him," she suggested.

            Vincent walked up to the bar and took a seat.  "What'll it be stranger?" Keep asked him without hinting that something was amiss.

            "Don't you recognize me?" Vincent asked.

            "Can't say I do.  Why, should I?"  Keep asked him quizzically.  Vincent looked back at the others, looked for an idea about what to do.

            One of the shadowy figures stood up from a table and walked over to Fiona and Aeris.  "This is taking too long.  I'll get through to him," the figure stated as it walked up to the bar and sat next to Vincent.  Vincent noticed the strange clothing, silver hair and tail the figure had.  The figure reached across the bar and grabbed Keep by the shirt.  "Get your damn memory working!" he shouted as he struck Keep upside the head.

            As his fist struck, the room, and everyone but Vincent, Chaos, the women, and Kuja disappeared into blackness.  "Kuja, that was a bit much," Fiona said annoyed.

            "I do not want to be in this place any longer than needed.  I want to get back to my body.  I am still alive, unlike half of you," he said angrily as the darkness began to change.  "See, it worked," he commented as the scene changed.  The darkness formed itself into the scene of two boys, Keep and one looking like him in a field.

            "That's the man you call Keep and his brother.  Keep is really Travis Starmore, my husband," Fiona explained as Vincent, Chaos, and Aeris looked on.  "Watch, this is where it all began," she pointed as a globe of light appeared and Travis and his brother disappeared into it.  "They were from a world called Earth, but they got pulled through to Gaia, my world," she explained as the scene lurched forward.  Now the two of them were fighting a huge dragon with weapons they picked up off the ground.  They were losing until Travis screamed, turned black as night, and obliterated the dragon.

            "What the hell was that?" Vincent asked as he watched the brother carry an injured Travis off to a close city.

            "It's called Starlight.  Only one person born on any world every million years has the ability to use it, but only one percent of those ever do realize their power and use it," Kuja explained.

            The scene shifted to many cut scenes of the brothers fighting off legions of monsters outside the city as the seasons changed.  Then it changed again as they ventured across the land until the reached another large city.  There they shook hands and Travis returned the way he came with a woman.  "That's when we met, he was to help me go home.  Nathan, his brother, decided to stay in the city.  But on the way back..," she stopped as the scene changed.  A huge metal monster descended from the air and attacked Travis and Fiona in the dream.

            "That's a WEAPON…" Aeris said as she stared at the battle.

            "Yes, a planet was dying and the ones living there made WEAPONs to exterminate our world so they could colonize it," Fiona explained.  The scene showed the WEAPON ready to strike a killing blow until Travis looked up at it with black eyes.  He unleashed his power once again in a massive explosion, injuring, but not killing the WEAPON.  Fiona rushed to his side as he struggled to his feet, covered in blood.  The WEAPON began to advance on them again, but he unleashed another blast, tearing it in two.  "The problem with the power was that it was meant not to be used.  It was meant to kill it's wielder, but he would not die," she explained as the scene faded away with his unconscious form in her arms.

            "When we got home he told me to keep it secret," she narrated as the scene shifted to one of a draconian-like WEAPON attacking the city over and over again as the seasons changed.  It always ended in Travis's bloody form stumbling back into the city as the WEAPON retreated.  Then Fiona appeared by him and took him back to her place when he was injured.  "He fought the Alpha WEAPON off for the better part of two years," she explained.  "Then we got married," she said as the wedding scene appeared.  "And had a son nine months later," she said as the scene showed the two of them holding a newborn.

            "But the war with the other world was escalating, so he left to help his brother and some other fend off a large force of WEAPONs and monsters.  When he was gone, a WEAPON attacked the city, killing the child and I," Fiona explained as the scene showed the besieged city and her own still form.  "But he never knew until much later.  He was too busy fighting," she finished as the image changed to a huge battlefield.  Travis was flying through the sky battling the Alpha WEAPON as thousands of soldiers battled monsters and a handful of heroes attacked other WEAPONs.  Travis unleashed a trio of blasts, destroying a WEAPON and critically injuring the Alpha WEAPON and himself.  Then he struck at the WEAPON with his fist in desperation and they both disappeared into blackness.

            _That's when I found how to do dimensional travel.  Travis/Keep's voice sounded musically through the sphere.  __Then I went to Earth, battled with Alpha and damn near killed all life on my home planet.  Eventually I got back to Gaia and killed the rest of the WEAPONs.  The voice quit as Travis materialized in front of them and the sphere began to fade.  "But Garland sent a dozen techno-WEAPONs out into other worlds, so I went after them.  Apparently traveling dimensions after expending a lot of energy causes memory loss, so Valentine found me in Midgar and that's how we all got here," he finished as the sphere totally disappeared. _

            "Starmore, why are your wife and I here?" Kuja asked, eager to return to Gaia.

            "Because, she gave her soul to bring me to life and you unwittingly gave part of yours when I took your Starlight.  Once you die, your soul will come to live in me with her and Alek until you fade away into nothingness," Travis explained.  "I will go prepare to fight Sephiroth now.  See you around Valentine, Chaos," he nodded at the two of them before fading away, taking Fiona and Kuja with him.

            "That was bizarre," Chaos said once he was gone.  

            "But necessary.  The planet knows that he is the only one with a chance, but he needed his memory back," Aeris explained.  "You need to find the others and stop the WEAPON projects.  He may be incredibly powerful, but he cannot take on Sephiroth and a WEAPON without a high probability of losing."

            "When we leave, we will become one again?"  Vincent asked as he gazed to the 'sky'.

            "Yes."

            "But we will be free if we help stop Sephiroth," Chaos added.

            "Not Sephiroth…  You must stop Garland, then you can be free.  Anyway, good luck, I'm sending you up to Mideel now, you should be able to find a way back to the others.  Good to see you again," she smiled before the green light overtook the man and demon.


	35. Canto 3 : The Return of Sephiroth : Vers...

**_The Song of Eternity_**

****

**_Canto 3_**

****

**_The Return of Sephiroth_**

****

**_Verse 7_**

****

**_The WEAPON Project_**

****

**_Returned from the darkness,_**

**_He goes alone to warn the others._**

**_They go to stop the new threat,_**

**_To find much more than they expected._**

****

            Vincent opened his eyes and stared into the bright sunlight.  He squinted the eyes nearly closed due to the brightness.  He struggled to his feet and checked himself over as he adjusted to the bright light.  _Gun, materia, all my body parts…_  He went over the mental checklist in his head as he began to notice the jungle around him.  _Chaos?_  He tried to contact the demon through the mental link they shared, wondering if the demon escaped the lifestream with him.  _Grrrr…_  He 'heard' the demon in his head, then finally regained all his sight.

            "Mideel," he said as he saw the huge pool of lifestream a few feet in front of him.  "Keep?" he called out to the surrounding area, trying to find his ally.  He spotted a chocobo tied to a tree several feet away and walked over to it.  There was a note tied around its neck.

            _Valentine,_

_                        By the time you read this, I will be long gone.  I expect that I will be able to occupy Sephiroth during the time it takes your crew to stop that WEAPON.  I will strike this evening.  This is one of those gold chocobos, I stole it from some guy up north and brought it here.  Get to the others and go after the WEAPON.  It is operational.  I cannot stop both it and Sephiroth at the same time.  Until we meet again Vincent._

_                                                                                                            Keep_

_                                                                                                            Travis Starmore_

            Vincent climbed onto the back of the chocobo and quickly rode off in the direction of Junon.  He concentrated on his riding and was making good time.  _What do you think of the situation Valentine?  Vincent frowned when he heard the voice of the demon in his head.  "Be more specific," he replied to the open air.  _Either one.  The WEAPON and your son, or the two of us being free.  _Vincent thought to himself for a while, then replied to the demon.  "I trust Aeris.  We'll stop the WEAPON, then go stop Sephiroth if he is still alive.  Then maybe we can be free of this existence."  __We needed each other Valentine.  I needed a body and you needed strength.  "I could have lived a normal life before you Chaos," Vincent stated before falling silent and riding faster.  _I am not exactly crazy about out current mortality either, human.__

            "What the hell is that?"  Cid swore to Shera and Nanaki as they circled the air above Nibelheim right after taking off to take Nanaki to Junon.  Nanaki looked out the window to see an unexpected sight.  Someone was riding a gold chocobo over the plains at incredible rate towards Junon.  Someone with a red cape.

            "Set it down Cid, that is Vincent," Nanaki explained as he realized who it was.  Cid brought the plane down roughly near Vincent as he rode, spooking the chocobo.  Vincent gathered his things, let the chocobo go and climbed into the Tiny Bronco.  "What happened to you and Keep?"  Nanaki questioned him after they took off and he realized they were missing the bartender.

            "He's gone to take care of something," Vincent replied cryptically.  "We need to go gather the others, we need to strike a factory tonight.  I'll explain more once we regroup," he stated before closing his eyes and dozing off.

            "What the hell's going on here vampire?" Reno swore as he stumbled his hung over self into the meeting room back in Junon.  Vincent and the others sent him dirty looks as Rude and Elena smacked him and sat him down.

            "Reeve, where is the WEAPON project taking place?" Vincent asked Cait Sith.

            "Errr, don't know who told you about that.  Cloud told me to take care of it and we were to only ones who knew," the cat replied with Reeve's voice.

            "I never told anyone," Cloud said defensively.

            "I found out on my own.  Now tell me what they have done and where it is going on," Vincent said as he looked at the cat and moogle.  

            "Sephiroth started it a couple months ago, dragging all the remains of the five WEAPONs to the old Temple of the Ancients and trying to get them in working order.  He has some incredible knowledge of biomechanics and has the four he recovered almost working.  But, as Cloud ordered, I had my people put some self destruction switches in them, so they aren't really a problem.  I got taken off the project a week ago, Sephiroth was getting suspicious and pulling people off the project."

            "We are going down to that factory tonight, to destroy it," Vincent said as the others looked at him in disbelief.

            "Vincent, we do not have that capability.  We are still outnumbered by the SOLDIERs, and we don't have enough materia yet to stand a chance when Sephiroth gets word of the attack and comes after us," Cloud explained as he rubbed his forehead.  

            "Sephiroth will be busy tonight," Vincent stated.  "In the lifestream, several things happened.  One was that Aeris talked to me and showed me that Sephiroth has recovered the Emerald WEAPON.  We cannot let him get that WEAPON operational.  The second was that he is not really Sephiroth.  Sephiroth's body has been rebuilt by techno WEAPON from another dimension and the Jenova cells in Sephiroth's remains allowed him to take control.  Third is that Keep is from the aforementioned dimension and came here to kill the WEAPON.  Aeris seems to think he is strong enough, but only if we can keep the WEAPONs away long enough.  I am not repeating this, its hard enough for me to understand and I had it explained in greater detail to me," he finished as the others stared at him with blank looks on their faces.  "He is striking Sephiroth tonight, so we have three hours or so to get to that island."

            "Three hours!  Shit!  I don't have the Highwind anymore, Valentine!  I gotta go get that damn plane started up," Cid shouted angrily as he grabbed his Venus Gospel and ran out of the room.

            "Are you sure about all of this Vincent?"  Cloud asked him as everyone was getting ready to grab their things and catch the plane.

            "Aeris told me.  I am sure," Vincent confirmed.

            "Good enough for me.  Everyone, grab your weapons, materia, armor, lots of elixirs, whatever you can carry, we'll split it up in the plane!"  Cloud shouted as everyone split of in different directions, knowing this was the best chance they'd get.

            "Shera, take the stick, I gotta go with them," Cid ordered before bailing out the back of the plane with the others.  They descended to the ground quickly.  Vincent and Barret were shooting at whatever guards spotted them during the entire descent.  They all landed loudly on the steel roof of the building as the alarms began to sound.

            "Move it people!" Cloud shouted as he took off with Tifa.  They split up into three other groups and all dropped down on each of the four sides of the building.  The Turks landed near a window and straightened their suits.  "Reno, look at that," Elena motioned as she looked through the window.

            "Crap, what the hell happened Reeve?" Reno said under his breath as Rude broke down the door and they rushed in to try to stop the inevitable.

            On the other side of the building, Cloud and Tifa were engaged in a battle with a group of SOLDIERs.  "You call yourselves SOLDIERs?"  Cloud shouted the challenge as he dropped the nearest combatant.  "You are nothing when the field is even!" he screamed as he blasted the closest one with a blast of fire.  Tifa delivered a punch to the SOLDIER she was battling, causing him to drop like a stone.  "Omnislash!" Cloud shouted, causing Tifa to dive backwards, knowing what was coming next.  When he was done, he helped Tifa to her feet.

            "Ewww, you're all bloody," she stuck her tongue out at him.

            "It's not mine," he replied as they walked to the door.

            "I know….  It's grosses than if it was yours," she laughed as she opened the door and peeked inside.  "Reeve!" she shouted as she ran inside.

            Barret and Nanaki dropped to the ground a minute after Vincent silently attacked the dozen SOLDIERs there.  "We could have helped, you know?"  Barret pointed out.

            "They were not a threat.  It was best that only one of us used his strength," Vincent reasoned.  _Valentine…  something is wrong here._  Vincent frowned and rushed to the window of the building.  "Shit!" he shouted as he shot out the window and dove through, followed by the others.

            "Yuffie, Cid, we might have a problem here," Reeve's voice came out during the battle between Cait Sith and a SOLDIER.

            " 'the hell're you talking about cat," Cid grunted as he speared a SOLDIER.

            "There aren't any explosions coming from in there.  That is the problem," Reeve explained.

            "God damn it Reeve!  You better not mean what I think you mean!" Yuffie yelled in anger as she slashed her opponent and dove through the door.  The others followed closely behind her and reached the inside of the building just as a huge explosion rocked the inside of the building, sending the walls flying outward and the ceiling sailing skyward.

            "He found the self destruct switches!" Reeve's voice carried over the remains of the building as the eleven heroes crawled out of the rubble to their feet.  "The WEAPONs are active!"  Reeve's voice was drowned out as the WEAPONs roared and rose to their full sizes from their underground repair pits.  The Ultima WEAPON rose into the sky and took off to the north, leaving only four WEAPONs to battle the heroes.

            "This is not good Tifa," Cloud admitted as the rebuilt Emerald WEAPON rose from the ground and positioned itself in front of them.  "Think it's as strong as before?" he whispered as he fingered the Knights of the Round materia in his sword.  

            "I don't know, probably not, it just got fixed up," Tifa guessed from the patchwork repairs done to the exterior of the WEAPON.

            "I have the level 1 Knights of the Round Tifa," Cloud told her.  "Cid has the mastered one and Rude had the Master Summon."  Cloud took an attack stance as Tifa finally realized the predicament they were in.  Cloud ran forward, striking at the WEAPON with all his strength, then being driven back by the WEAPON's ray attack.  "Only one summon… this isn't gonna work," Cloud admitted as Tifa helped him to his feet.

            "Which one is that?" Reno asked as he readied his nightstick.

            "Diamond," Rude replied as he adjusted his shades.

            "What's the plan?" Elena asked as the WEAPON prepared to attack them.

            "Summon," Rude explained as he produced the Knights of the Round materia.

            At that time the WEAPON unleashed an energy wave on the three Turks.  The three braced themselves but felt no damage as the wave died down.  "…" Reno said nothing as he checked himself over and shrugged.

            "…"  Rude replied.

            "…!" Elena chimed in as they realized the WEAPON had silenced them.

            Cid, Yuffie, and Cait Sith stood ready to fight the Ruby WEAPON.  "Alright, ya big piece of junk, time to head back down where you came from!" Cid shouted as he unleashed a Knights of the Round summon on the WEAPON.

            _LET ME OUT!  Vincent ignored the demon as he, Barret and Nanaki traded blows with the Sapphire WEAPON.  They half repaired head of the WEAPON kept grinning at them as it unleashed several small energy blasts at the heroes.  _Valentine, let me out!_  "Quiet demon!" Vincent shouted as he unleashed a fury of gunshots at the WEAPONs exterior as Nanaki blasted it with Ultima.  _

            The WEAPON counterattacked them, send all three of them flying backward into the remains of the wall of the factory.  Nanaki growled as he got up, Barret swore, and Vincent did nothing.  Chaos on the other hand….


	36. Canto 3 : The Return of Sephiroth : Vers...

**_The Song of Eternity_**

****

**_Canto 3_**

****

**_The Return of Sephiroth_**

****

**_Verse 8_**

****

**_Fall of the WEAPONs_**

****

**_The WEAPONs reborn,_**

**_Battling the ones who have waited years for freedom,_**

**_And evil arrives in the moment of victory._**

****

            "…"  Rude 'said' in annoyance.  He was silent by nature, but this was a time that he really needed his voice, but could not use it.  The Diamond WEAPON had silenced him along with Reno and Elena when it attacked them.  He dove out of the way as an energy blast tore into the ground where he was just standing.  The WEAPON turned away from him to focus on Reno who was attacking it with his nightstick.  

            Rude took the opportunity to pull Elena to her feet.  He pointed to his mouth, then over to where Cid had fallen to the ground.  He pushed her in the direction, hoping that she would get the plan and grab a remedy or an echo screen.  He turned his attention back to see Reno bleeding from a wound to the shoulder.  He frowned and rushed to the WEAPON and tried to damage it with his fists.  He pulled his hands back after the first couple strikes.  He rubbed his knuckles in pain as he stepped back, hoping he got the WEAPON's attention. 

            The WEAPON turned to face him, swinging wildly with an arm.  It connected, sending Rude flying until some rubble stopped his momentum through the air.  Reno helped him up and they both stood there gazing at the WEAPON as it advanced on them.  It stopped in its tracks as several Comets came out of the sky, staggering it from behind.  As the WEAPON slowly turned around to face the new threat, Elena dashed around the WEAPON quickly and handed Reno and Rude echo screens.  

            "About time," Reno said as he finally found himself able to speak.  "Here, Megalixer time," he said as he cracked open the bottle he produced from his jacket.  He stood up straight as the wounds healed and brushed some of the blood from his clothes.  "I never get used to this," he muttered.

            Rude pointed at the WEAPON that was turning around, finding out that its attacker was now behind him.  "Knights of the Round," Rude said quietly as the Turks disappeared and the space around the WEAPON changed colors as the legendary knights attacked the Diamond WEAPON.  As the spell finished up, the WEAPON stumbled a little, but then refocused its attention on the Turks.  "Run?"  Rude suggested as a salvo of energy, much like the attack it used on Midgar, streaked at where they were standing.  

            The dirt exploded all around them as it hurled them into the air.  After what seemed like eternity, Elena crashed into the ground, landing on her arm, breaking it.  She gritted her teeth as she pushed herself to her feet with her good arm.  "That was not good," she whispered as she looked at the WEAPON.  "It's a lot tougher than Cloud said it was.  Must be because of whatever Sephiroth did to it," she reasoned as she grabbed for the Comet materia.  "Time to show it what a Turk is made of.  Comet 2!"  The comets crashed into the back of the WEAPON, sending bits of metal flying to the ground.  

            Reno got to his feet and noticed two things.  One, the WEAPON was headed towards Elena.  Two, he had a rock sticking trough his midsection.  "Here, potion, potion, potion," he muttered as he pulled the rock out and poured the potion's contents all over the bloody wound.  The blood stopped flowing and Reno shifted his focus to the WEAPON.  "Mime!" he shouted as he grasped the yellow materia and comets more comets crashed out of the sky into the WEAPON.

            Rude wiped the blood from his eyes as he saw the blurred shape of the WEAPON.  "…" he stayed silent as he pushed the huge rock that had fallen on top of his legs.  "…" he grunted as the rock did not move.  "Bolt," he said quietly as the rock shattered.  He scrambled to his feet and assessed the situation as Reno mimed Elena's Comet attack.  Several small pieces of metal fell from the WEAPON as the comets hit.  "Not working fast enough," he said as he looked through the materia in his Escort Guard.  He smiled as an idea occurred to him.  "Blizzaga," he said calmly as he unleashed the cold spell at the WEAPON.

            Elena backed away from the WEAPON as Rude blasted it with the cold magic.  She stumbled over to Reno, and shouted over the sound of the WEAPON freezing.  "What's he doing?"  Elena shouted in Reno's ear over the deafening noise of the battles raging around them.  

            "I think I get it," Reno said as realized that Rude was not stopping with the spell.  "Get ready to hit it," he ordered as he handed her his nightstick.  "Mime!"  He shouted as he blasted the WEAPON from the other side.  

            Elena watched as the WEAPON started to move slower and slower.  The metal all over the WEAPON was covering with frost.  She could feel the cold from where she was standing fifteen feet from the WEAPON.  Finally Reno and Rude stopped casting their spells on the WEAPON and she rushed in and struck the WEAPON with Reno's nightstick as hard as she could.  There was a loud crack, and she went back to Reno's side handing him his nightstick as Rude made his way over.  The frost thawed for a few seconds until the WEAPON moved towards them.  As it moved, several large chunks of its exterior fell off onto the ground, revealing a huge hole where Elena had struck it. 

            "Damn thing doesn't want to die," Reno spat as he looked at the area they had uncovered.  "Okay, here's the plan, distract it," Reno said as he pushed Rude and Elena off to the right as he went to the left.

            "Great," Rude said as he pulled out his brass knuckles.  He rushed in, with Elena right behind him, backing him up with several well timed Firaga spells.  The WEAPON focused its attention on the human attacking it.  It swung its massive arm, hitting Rude in the midsection, sending him backwards into Elena.  It stepped forward, trying to finish off two of the irritating humans that were bothering it.  

            "Not so fast there," Reno shouted from the back of the WEAPON where he had climbed.  "Let's see how this feels," he said as he stuck his nightstick in the wires that Elena uncovered.  He then activated the electric charge attack in his nightstick and was blown backwards from the blast.  When he opened his eyes, Rude and Elena were helping him to his feet.  "It dead yet?" he asked as he felt injuries all over his body from the explosion.  

            "Yes, you deactivated whatever it was that Sephiroth did to it," Elena said as they looked at the still form of the Diamond WEAPON.  "Looks like the others are about done too," she said as she looked over the rest of the battlefield.

            "Crap," Rude said as he pointed to the sky.

            Cid was roughly shoved out of the way by Cait Sith as the Ruby WEAPON's arm came down and crushed the cat and moogle.  "Shit!  You okay Reeve?" Cid asked as he crouched cautiously by the mangled remains of the fortune teller.  

            "I'm fine, Cait's done for though," Reeve's voice said from what little was left of the robot.  "The power on this thing's gonna go out in a few seconds, good luck guys," Reeve's message ended in static and finally went out.

            "What's going on old man?"  Yuffie asked as she came over to the mangled remains of Cait Sith.  

            "Damn cat got himself squashed," he said as he lit up another cigarette.  "We need to work on that thing," he gestured at the Ruby WEAPON.  "Got any ethers?" 

            Yuffie shook her head, but produced an elixir and tossed it to him.  "You better get using that Knights of the Round quick old man," she said as she struck at the WEAPON.  

            "Working on it, kinda have the small problem of no MP right now," Cid grumbled as he downed the elixir.  "Look out!" he shouted as the Ruby WEAPON reached down and grabbed Yuffie.  "Put her down you stinking WEAPON," Cid shouted as he stabbed at the WEAPON with his Venus Gospel.  "Oops," he laughed as the WEAPON hurled it's arms skyward, tossing Yuffie in the process.  "Tuck and roll kid!  Knights of the Round!"  He disappeared as the knights appeared and attacked the WEAPON.  After Arthur attacked Cid reappeared to see the damaged, but standing WEAPON.  

            "Let's try this again," he said as he unleashed another pair of Knights of the Rounds summons.  "You've got to be kidding me," he muttered as the WEAPON shuddered, but did not fall.  "I'm already outta MP here damnit," he swore as he readied his Venus Gospel.  He rushed at the Ruby WEAPON and stabbed it with his spear.  He stood back from the WEAPON for a second before it zapped him with an energy ray.  "Crap," he swore as he got back to his feet.  He squinted at the WEAPON as he saw something hit it from above.

            "Stupid WEAPON!  Throwing me into the air!"  Yuffie shouted as she somehow landed on the WEAPON, unleashed her limit break, and continued attacking the WEAPON.  Cid joined in, stabbing in at the torso area of the WEAPON.  "Ultima!" Yuffie shouted as the WEAPON fell to the ground in a heap of metal.

            Cid leaned on his spear as he lit up a cigarette.  He nodded as Yuffie stumbled over.  "That was fun," she said sarcastically.  "Looks like everyone else is finishing up too.  So I guess we won," she shrugged.

            "Try to find a megalixer or something, we've got company," Cid said as he stamped out his cigarette.

            "Knights of the Round!"  Cloud shouted as he and Tifa disappeared and the summon ran its course.  When they reappeared, the WEAPON had massive damage done to it.  "Sephiroth didn't have a chance to fix it up like the others.  It's weak," Cloud said to Tifa.  "Haste!" he shouted as he cast the spell.

            "Regen!"  Tifa shouted as the green light covered them both.  "So what are we gonna do, the best spell we have is Quake or something," Tifa asked as she got her Premium Heart ready.

            "Easy, just keep hitting it," Cloud said as he started to slash at the WEAPON repeatedly.  Tifa joined in, punching from the other side, both of them causing huge chunks to fall off of the injured WEAPON.  "Omnislash!"  He screamed as she cut apart the WEAPON, finally causing it to fall to the ground after five minutes of constant hacking at it.  "You okay Tifa?" he asked as he hugged his wife.

            "Fine, but what was it so easy?"

            "Near as I can tell, Sephiroth didn't have enough time to get it working again," Cloud guessed as he looked up into the sky.  "This can't be good," he muttered as he prepared for battle.

            "Think we should join in?"  Barret asked Nanaki as they looked on at the scene in front of them.  Vincent had transformed into Chaos and was ripping into the half-head of the Sapphire WEAPON.  "I don't want to get too close to Chaos there.  It looks like Valentine lost control, Chaos is going nuts," Barret said timidly as he stared at the fight.

            "You realize you do have a gun.  You don't have to get close to shoot the WEAPON," Nanaki pointed out.

            "Damn, you're right," Barret said as he took aim and fired at the WEAPON.  Nanaki charged around to the other side of the WEAPON and attacked as well.  Chaos had clawed his way into the hole that he made and continued to toss wires and metal out the hole.  Barret used his Catastrophe limit break and listened, hoping that Vincent/Chaos survived from his position in the WEAPON.  He stopped shooting and listened to see if he was still alive.  He heard gunshots and saw Vincent leap out of the hole as smoke and fire billowed out of the hole.

            He landed next to Barret and wiped some blood from his eyes.  "No more blasting the WEAPON when I'm inside it," he muttered as he reloaded his gun.

            "Not my fault you and Chaos went nuts and crawled into the damn thing," Barret swore as another explosion rocked the WEAPON as Nanaki ran through the torso, creating a huge hole.  "Think it's dead yet?"  Barret asked as Nanaki came over and the WEAPON slumped to the ground.

            "Hoped so," Nanaki added as he shook, spraying blood from his coat everywhere.

            "That is disgusting," Vincent said in annoyance as he wiped the blood from his claw.

            "This coming from a guy who turns into a demon," Barret joked as the WEAPON shook as a small explosion rocked it.  "Is that thing safe?"  

            He barely finished the question as the WEAPON exploded, sending shrapnel flying in their direction.  Nanaki and Barret cried out in pain and shrapnel cut into their midsections.  Vincent caught a shard of metal in his leg and grunted as he pulled it out.  "You two, take this," he said as he tossed them a restore materia.  "I need to go take care of that," he finished as he walked in the direction of a huge shadow covering the ground.


	37. Canto 3 : The Return of Sephiroth : Vers...

**_The Song of Eternity_**

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**_Canto 3_**

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**_The Return of Sephiroth_**

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**_Verse 9_**

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**_The Death of Sephiroth_**

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**_Four of the monstrosities destroyed,_**

**_One still alive,_**

**_It goes to its master,_**

**_The battle rages supreme until it is over._**

****

            Sephiroth looked up from his throne high atop the rebuilt Shinra building.  He noticed a sort of electricity in the air as a SOLDIER came from the depths of the building and kneeled before him.  "General, we have received word from the WEAPON project.  They are being attacked by AVALANCHE," the SOLDIER informed Sephiroth, fearful for his own life.  

            "Those fools.  I will kill them all," he angrily said to the SOLDIER as he stood and unsheathed his masamune.  "Ready the troops, I will fly there directly.  You will meet me there with the rest of my forces.  It is time to end this conflict," Sephiroth ordered as the SOLDIER saluted and ran back into the building.  He levitated a foot off the rooftop before settling back down after noticing a new shadow on his familiar rooftop.  "Come out now, whoever you are," he ordered as the shadow moved.

            The man who stopped into his view was different from the last time Sephiroth or anyone else had seen him.  He was dressed the same, black trench coat, red hair in a pony-tail, but the bindings on his right arm were gone, revealing the metal of his artificial right arm.  "You need to deal with me before you even think of going after anyone else," Keep said as he produced his red colored sword.  

            "That is a small threat human," Sephiroth laughed.  "What is your name, at least let me know that before I kill you," Sephiroth asked as he went into a fighting stance.

            "You already know my name, it is time to end your time here.  This is not our world," Keep said calmly as he crouched, ready to strike.

            Sephiroth looked at him with a puzzled look in his eyes.  "Starmore…  I've never met you, yet I know you and feel such hatred towards you..," Sephiroth's voice trailed off as he shook his head, as if to clear things.  "No matter, you are still a human, an inferior breed!" Sephiroth shouted as he slashed at Keep.

            Keep stood his ground and blocked the sword-strike with his own.  In response, he swung at Sephiroth, who had to duck in order to keep his head.  They floated up into the air simultaneously and circled each other, swords in hand, ready to strike.  "You died years ago Sephiroth, let go.  Let me end this, I want to talk to him," Keep pleaded with Sephiroth who seemed to be having some sort of a mental argument with himself.  

            "No!  I am myself.  You will pay for making me doubt myself," he screamed as he flew at Keep.  Their swords clanged several times, neither causing any damage to the other until Sephiroth scored a hit on Keep, who in turn slashed into Sephiroth's midsection.  They both flew apart from each other and inspected their own wounds.  Keep covered the wound on his leg with his metal hand, causing a green light to heal the wound.  Sephiroth on the other hand tried to look away as his mid-section healed, but found himself transfixed by what was happening.  It looked like he had silver blood, and it was rapidly filling and healing the wound that Keep had caused.  "What is this?  What am I?" he questioned himself as Keep watched in a calm ferocity.

            "You are a corpse, who refuses to go away.  It looks like I will have to do this myself," Keep shrugged as he flew to the air above the stunned Sephiroth.  Keep's body turned black as night.  Then small points of light appeared and rushed to the surface of his skin.  "Starlight Blast," he shouted before the light ripped from his skin and streaked down toward Sephiroth.  Half of the light hit Sephiroth, the other half crashed into the Shinra building, traveling down to the very foundation and exploding, causing the once great seat of power to collapse and kill most of those inside or near the ground by it.  As the smoke cleared around Sephiroth, he continued to float in the air, although covered by dozens of cuts, and bleeding profusely.

            "You will pay for that!" Sephiroth shouted as he flew into a blind rage at Keep.  He slashed at Keep with speed that Keep could not hope to equal, stabbing into his flesh several times and spraying blood everywhere.  "Supernova," he shouted as he cast the spell, unleashing his ultimate destructive magic into the face of his foe.  He whirled around as he heard another noise as the spell ran its course.  "Ultimate WEAPON, good, it sensed the battle," Sephiroth concluded breathlessly.

            As Sephiroth turned back, expecting to see nothing, or a charred corpse, he was greeted by an unwelcome surprise.  Keep continued to float there in the air as a green glow emitted from his metal arm and covered his whole body, healing his wounds.  "Nice, try.  You're not gonna beat me so fast there.  I am a lot like you, it takes a while to wear us down to he point of defeat," Keep taunted as he realized the WEAPON had arrived.  "Two on one?  Great," he muttered as he grasped his sword tightly.  "Morons can't even kill WEAPONs by themselves," he grunted.  He closed his eyes tight as half a dozen concussive blasts erupted from his body.

            "Was that supposed to hurt me?"  Sephiroth laughed as he stood side by side with the WEAPON.

            "Nope, just supposed to let me get serious.  I suggest you do as well.  I will not be holding back anymore," Keep threatened as he gazed at his opponents.  He stayed silent as he watched Sephiroth's face darken.  He flew at the duo with speed greater than he previously showed.  Sephiroth dropped out of the way as the WEAPON took the brunt of the attack.  Keep flew back, away from the city as he dodged blows from the WEAPON and Sephiroth.  

            "Aaagh," he grunted as Sephiroth scored a god stab into his gut with the masamune.  _I can't take both of them_.  Keep tried to think of an idea as he struck back against the duo, but not really doing any damage.  "Damnit!  Starlight Blast," he screamed as he blasted the two of them with his ultimate energy attack.  He drifted to the ground some as he flew as fast as he could in the direction where he assumed the others were.  He was bleeding profusely from several cuts that refused to heal, despite his magic attempts.  He glanced back in time to dodge an energy blast from the WEAPON.  "They're too fast," he muttered as he looked ahead again and saw the signs of a battle.  "Almost there," he whispered before Sephiroth blasted him with a Supernova blast, causing him to crash down into the remains of some sort of building.

            Sephiroth and the WEAPON settled on the ground side by side, surrounded by the remains of the other four WEAPONs and the WEAPON project.  Vincent watched him as he landed.  Cloud, Tifa, Cid, Yuffie, and the Turks stumbled up behind him to prepare for the battle.  Sephiroth looked at the eight of them in annoyance.  "You are more trouble than you are worth.  Surrender and you may live.  Battle me and you will die painfully," he threatened them as he wiped some blood from his sword.

            "It is over Sephiroth, we are going to stop you here" Vincent said as he pulled out his gun and pointed it right at Sephiroth.

            "Didn't you learn from last time?  You humans cannot beat me," Sephiroth laughed as Vincent lowered his arm and looked to the ground.  "See, he realizes the futility," Sephiroth laughed as he pointed at Vincent.

            "Cloud, stop the WEAPON quickly, then help me," Vincent whispered.  Cloud nodded in response and stepped back from Vincent.  "Time to work together," he said in a voice only one being could hear.  _Do not fail me Valentine._  Chaos growled in his head as Vincent began to transform.  A pair of black wings sprouted from his back as he rose to the air.  His claw disappeared and his left arm was replaced with the dark muscled arm of Chaos.  His skin turned darker and tougher everywhere else, with the exception of his face and right hand, where he gripped his Death Penalty.

            "What are you?"  Sephiroth stammered in wonder as he viewed the sight in front of him.  

            "Vincent?" Cloud asked as he looked on at what was transpiring.

            "Chaos and I are working together for this.  Stop the WEAPON.  I will deal with my son," Vincent growled in an impossibly deep voice. 

            Sephiroth floated up into the sky with hate filled eyes to face the new threat.  "WEAPON, destroy these humans, then find that other one if he is still alive," Sephiroth ordered as the WEAPON charged at the seven weary and wounded heroes.  Sephiroth and Vincent circled each other warily.  "Why did you call me your son?  You are as old as I am and a demon.  I may be evil, but I think the demon genetics would show," Sephiroth asked as Chaos's sword appeared in his left hand.

            "I am over sixty years old.  Hojo did this to me after he found out about me and your real mother, Lucretia," Vincent explained as he stared at Sephiroth with blood red eyes.  Sephiroth looked puzzled for a second, which gave Vincent his chance to attack.

            "Walls, regen, haste, whatever you have left, use it now!" Cloud shouted as he and the others scattered in the wake of the Ultimate WEAPON's attack.  He felt a wall form over him as he unslung his sword and rushed up to the WEAPON.  He slashed at it as Cid stabbed at it from the other side and Reno zapped it with his nightstick.  The WEAPON roared and unleashed some new attack, sending an energy wave out from its body, causing the three of them to fly back through the air in intense pain.  

            "…" Rude stayed silent as he got up close to he WEAPON and began to deliver several punches to its exterior, not doing much damage.  The WEAPON sent him flying back with a swipe of its arm, causing him to painfully crash into Yuffie.  She swore as the Turk knocked her to the ground.  Rude ignored her and handed her a piece of materia.  "No MP left," he said before he passed out.

            Vincent pressed his attack, forcing Sephiroth to block his sword strikes and take many small wounds from his Death Penalty.  Sephiroth was sweating.  He was in pain.  He felt like something besides the demon in front of him was clawing at his head.  And worse than that, he was losing.  It was a new sensation to him.  He could barely move fast enough to stop the strikes that Vincent was continually and untiringly raining down on him.

            He cried out as he felt a bullet shatter his right leg.  "Bastard!" he shouted as he angrily swung at Vincent, opening himself to a stab from Chaos's sword.  He grasped his bleeding wound with his free arm as the Ultimate WEAPON unleashed another energy attack, knocking out everyone but Yuffie.  "Kill her now WEAPON!  I need assistance!" he shouted as he struggled to stand.

            "You deserve rest my son," Vincent said tearfully.  "Something brought you back for its own twisted purposed," he gestured at the wound as it healed.  "You cannot bring yourself to look at the truth," Vincent added as Yuffie unleashed Knights of the Round upon the WEAPON, leaving it in a heap on the ground.  

            "I…  I…," Sephiroth tried to speak, but found himself unable to move.

            "Quiet.  It ends now," Vincent said quietly as he put his gun to Sephiroth's head.  "Goodbye," he added as he pulled the trigger, spraying blood and brain all over.  Sephiroth fell to the ground with a thud as Vincent turned to go help Yuffie and the others.  "Everyone alive?" he asked Yuffie who just shrugged as she bandaged a cut on her leg.

            Barret and Nanaki made their way over and were helping Cloud and the others to their feet, using whatever items and MP they had left.  Cloud groaned as he rubbed his head.  "We win?" he asked as he staggered over and was caught by Vincent.

            "Yes, I stopped him."

            "That's good, we're all outta ether, MP, potions, everything," Tifa said as she emptied her item bag.  

            "Shit," Rude said as he pointed past everyone to where Sephiroth's body had got to it's feet.

            "Ahhh, finally the human has fallen and I can take over," the half a skull spoke as the head healed itself.  "It took far too long to gain control over this body, those alien cells were mucking up everything," it commented as its eyes reformed.  "There you are, the strongest humans on this world.  Too bad you're all exhausted," the head laughed as it unleashed an energy blast at them, knocking them all back ten feet and opening many new wounds.  "This is my time.  The time to make this world Terra!" the head shouted as it gloated over the barely moving forms of AVALANCHE and the Turks.

            "Garland!"  A voice roared from the rubble of the building as a body rose from the ground holding a blood red sword.  

            "Starmore," Sephiroth/Garland said with absolute hate in his voice.  "You should not have come here Travis.  What am I, the first one you found?  It hasn't been that long," Garland asked as he walked over to Keep.

            "You are the first, but not the last.  I will kill you and hunt down the other eleven.  I will not rest until nothing remains of Terra," Keep said venomously and he walked toward Garland and stopped when they were face to face.  

            "You're all alone now.  No one to help you here.  No brother.  No genomes.  No mages.  Can you do it alone?"  Garland sneered as the rest of Sephiroth's body reformed.

            "I've always been alone," Keep stated as he floated into the air and away from Garland.  Garland floated likewise until they were circling each other ten feet from the ground.  

            "Let's not prolong this game Starmore.  We will use everything at out disposal, or nothing at all.  Agreed?"  Garland asked as he sheathed the masamune.

            "Agreed," Keep nodded as he sheathed his sword as well.  He closed his eyes and shuddered as thirteen concussive blast of power rocked his body.  His body turned black as he prepared to unleash a Starlight Blast.  "Ready when you are," Keep said in an unearthly voice.

            "Here we go then, all or nothing!"  Garland shouted as he thrust his own arms forward and shouted.  "Ultimate Supernova!"

            "Starlight Blast!"  Keep shouted in response as both of their respective ultimate attacks raced toward each other and met, neither being able to push past the other.  Both men were sweating as they concentrated and tried to break the stalemate, but to no avail.  "Damn, here goes nothing," Keep muttered as his body went black again.

            "That is not possible, you've used too many already!  That was the data we had on you!"  Garland shouted as he saw what was happening.

            "Alpha kept a secret.  Starlight Blast!"  Keep screamed as another volley of light erupted from his flesh and overtook Garland's own attack.  "It's over!" he shouted triumphantly as the energy wave ripped Sephiroth/Garland apart.  He fell to the ground afterwards and rested on one knee for so long he forgot how long it had been.  When he looked up, Vincent was calling his name, urging him to board the Tiny Bronco with the others.  Keep nodded and joined the others on the plane before falling asleep.


	38. Canto 3 : The Return of Sephiroth : Vers...

**_The Song of Eternity_**

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**_Canto 3_**

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**_The Return of Sephiroth_**

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**_Verse 10_**

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**_Recovery_**

****

**_The threat finally vanquished,_**

**_The survivors move on._**

**_The two destined for darkness cannot rest,_**

**_Only prepare for what will come,_**

**_And hope for salvation._**

****

            Vincent woke up as the bright sunlight shined in his eyes through the window.  He had fallen asleep standing in the corner the night before.  He looked over to the kitchen where Shera was moving about, preparing breakfast.  He stretched his sore form and walked over and took a seat at the small table.  "You're awake," Shera noted as she tended the food on the stove.

            "Apparently," Vincent replied as he moved his hand to block the sunlight.  He moved away from the wall and stretched his sore muscles.  He walked over to the table and took a seat.  "Where are the others?"  He asked Shera who slid a cup of tea in front of him.

            "Around town, they've been mobile for the past few days, unlike you and your friend," Shera explained.

            Vincent frowned as he put his tea down.  "A few days?  How long was I out?" he asked her, wondering if she made a mistake.

            "You and the bartender have been out of it for about a week now," Shera explained as she pointed to a lump covered in blankets on the floor.  "When we landed here after the battle, you went to the corner, propped yourself up and we haven't been able to snap you out of it since then.  Same deal with him, except he just collapsed.  Neither of you seemed to be dying, so Cloud just let you be," Shera explained with a shrug.

            "Strange," Vincent muttered as he sipped the tea.  "Is everyone else okay?"

            "Yes, everyone else made it through without any permanent damage," Shera explained before the door opened and Cid came barging in.

            "Well, I'll be…  Dead man number one is moving around," the pilot joked as he took one of the empty seats at the table.  "What the hell was wrong with you anyway?" Cid asked before Shera hit him in the back of the head.  "Sorry," Cid said exhaustedly.  Vincent raised an eyebrow at the situation.  "I promised her that if we made it through all this, I'd cut down on the swearing," Cid explained.

            "Never thought I'd see that," Vincent admitted.  "I don't know why I slept for so long.  It probably has to do with when Chaos and I worked together to beat Sephiroth," Vincent guessed as he thought back to when he killed Sephiroth.  "He is dead then?"

            "Yeah, your friend there blasted him good," Cid said as he pointed to the lump of blankets on the floor.  "Me and Spike went back to check it our yesterday.  He's gone, we couldn't even find any parts," Cid explained.

            "Good.  He deserved better than this.  He had been manipulated by Jenova and then whatever it was that Keep was hunting," Vincent said with a sense of peace.  

            Cloud and Tifa came through the door and looked surprised to see Vincent up.  "Morning Vincent," Cloud said as he and Tifa sat down at the table.  "You okay?  All in one piece?"  Cloud asked as he took a cup of coffee from Shera.

            "I guess so," Vincent said.

            "So what do you plan to do now Vincent?  Cloud and I are going to Kalm to open up a bar and a fighting school," Tifa explained.

            "I have not thought of it.  I need to speak with him, when he wakes up," Vincent motioned at Keep.

            "If you don't mind, I want you to take these," Cloud said as he slid a bag of materia across the table.  "There's one of each of them in there, so we can duplicate them, should the need arise again.  I'll be destroying the rest," Cloud said as Vincent secured the bag on his person.

            "I understand," Vincent replied as the door opened and a loud group of people entered the house.  

            "The foo's awake," Barrett said as he carried Marlene in on his shoulder.  

            Yuffie limped in along with Nanaki and took a seat in the kitchen.  "Nice to see you awake Vincent," Nanaki said as Yuffie complained about her leg.

            Reeve came in last followed by the Turks.  "Vincent," Reeve nodded as everyone stood around, wondering what to do next.  

            "So are you all getting ready to go, or what?  I have the plane ready and can get you wherever you want to go," Cid asked the assembled group.

            "I guess me an' Marlene will be heading back to Corel," Barrett said.

            "Wutai, I need a vacation from fighting," Yuffie sighed as she thought about flying.

            "Back to Cosmo Canyon," Nanaki nodded.

            "If you don't mind, drop us four back at Midgar," Reeve asked, indicating himself and the Turks.  "They kinda put me in charge there after Sephiroth died.  I just came here to grab these three to give me hand rebuilding."

            "I will stay here a bit longer," Vincent replied.

            "So will we, a couple more days at least," Cloud answered as well.

            "Okay then.  We'll see you guys later, I want to get back to Rocket Town, so the plane is leaving now people," Cid said as he shook Cloud and Vincent's hands and left.  After everyone said their goodbyes and left, Cloud, Tifa, and Vincent sat there quietly for a bit until they heard the plane leave.

            As the plane took off, Cloud spoke to Vincent as Tifa tried to finish cooking the food on the stove.  "You want to talk to him too, don't you?"  Vincent nodded in response.  "When he went to fight Sephiroth in Midgar, I heard some stories about it.  Reeve says that something happened, an explosion, the Shinra building is gone now, nothing but a pile of rubble.  I want to know what he really is," Cloud finished.

            "I don't think he's even asleep," Vincent said as he walked over to the pile of blankets on the floor with Cloud and Tifa behind him.  "Get up," Vincent said as he poked at the pile with his boot.  The pile stayed limp, refusing to react to his proddings.  Vincent frowned and pulled out his Death Penalty and pointed it at the pile.

            "Vincent, what are you doing?"  Cloud asked as he watched Vincent point the gun at the pile.

            "Trust me.  He is more than he seems," Vincent explained as the gun clicked loudly throughout the room as around slid into the chamber.  "Quit messing around and wake up, there are only three of us left here," Vincent said loudly.  When the pile did not react, Vincent fired at where the head should have been.

            "What are you doing?" Tifa shouted after he shot.

            "Check the body," Vincent replied as Cloud hurriedly threw the blankets off, expecting to find a corpse.  As he threw off the last blanket he was greeted by a strange sight.  Instead of a bloody corpse, Keep was lying on his back with the bullet between his fingertips, an inch in front of his face.  "I told you he was awake," Vincent pointed out as he walked back to the table.

            Cloud as Tifa stood back as Keep got to his feet, still caked in dried blood from the battle.  Keep looked down at him self and shook his head.  He snapped his fingers and the glow from his metal arm erupted outward, cleaned off the blood and repaired his clothes.  "Much better," he said as he looked himself over.  He walked past Cloud and Tifa and took a seat after grabbing some bacon and eggs from the stove.

            Cloud and Tifa grabbed some food and sat down as well.  After eating in silence for a bit Vincent decided to speak.  "Why did you fake sleeping?"

            "I did not wish to speak to them.  The less people here, the better," Keep replied.  "But you three want to speak with me, so go ahead.  What do you want to know?"

            "Who are you and what was the deal with Sephiroth?"  Cloud asked Keep as he drank some orange juice.

            "My name is Travis Starmore.  I came here hunting the thing that possessed Sephiroth.  It was a special WEAPON, made to invade a host and make it stronger, then take over.  Its creator killed my family and most of my world.  It would not have stopped until all human life was dead, then it would repopulate the world with genetic clones of its creator's people," he explained.

            "What happened to the Shinra building?" Tifa asked.     

            "It got caught in part of a blast that missed Sephiroth," Keep explained.

            "All those people in it died," Cloud said with a bit of sadness.

            "I do not care.  I would kill everything on this world to get to the WEAPONs," Keep said calmly, silencing Tifa and Cloud.

            "In the lifestream your wife and Aeris told me about the song.  They said Chaos and I would be free of each other if we stopped Sephiroth.  But the demon is still in me!" Vincent shouted as he slammed his claw on the table.

            "They said you must stop Garland, not Sephiroth.  Garland is the consciousness controlling the WEAPONs I am hunting.  They might have told you what you needed to hear to get you to fight Sephiroth and not Chaos.  There are still eleven WEAPONs out there for me to hunt down," Keep guessed as he finished up his food.

            "Can you hear the song?  Can you tell me what it means?"  Vincent pleaded with Keep.

            "Everyone can hear it, you just have to listen.  There are two problems with it though.  One is that it can drive you mad before you understand it.  And two is that you only hear the song as it pertains to you.  The song is a narration of what will probably happen in the future, but it is not exact, it has been wrong before," Keep replied as he laughed at something in his head.  "Aeris understood it because she was with the planet.  She was probably right though, unless she is the kind of person that would try to manipulate you.  In the future of this planet you and Chaos will be free of each other."

            "This is getting way to deep," Cloud sighed.

            "Tell me about it," Keep agreed as he stood up from the table and stretched.  "Well, I need to be going now," he stated as he headed to the door.  Cloud, Tifa, and Vincent followed him to the open air in front of the Villa in Costa Del Sol.  Keep looked around for a bit as if looking for something.           

            "What are you waiting for?  Do you have a vehicle or something?"  Tifa asked as she looked up at the sky.

            "Ha, I wish.  It might be a lot easier if I did," Keep laughed.  "Stand back please," he ordered.  After the three of them took a few steps back he traced a circle in the air with his metal hand.  As his fingers traced the air a black circle appeared in their path.  Once the circle was complete, the inside of it turned black at once.  "That's my ride," Keep said as he wiped a drop of blood from his nose.

            "Well, thanks for you help.  Good luck," Cloud said.

            "Don't hurt yourself out there," Tifa added.

            Vincent looked into the circle as he talked to Keep.  "What is that noise?"  He asked Keep as he listened intently to the dull roar coming from within the circle.

            "That's the song.  This is a hole into the void between worlds, it's where the song comes from," Keep explained.  Keep stepped through the circle and turned back around to look at Vincent and the others.  "You two, have a nice life," he indicated to Cloud and Tifa.  "As for you Valentine, I'll see you later," he finished before the circle closed and he disappeared.


	39. Canto 4 : Earth : Verse 1 : Uncovering t...

**_The Song of Eternity_**

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**_Canto 4 : Earth_**

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**_Verse 1_**

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**_Uncovering the Past_**

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**_A skeptic,_**

**_Told to uncover the truth of the past,_**

**_Begins his journey._**

****

            A man sits alone in a sparsely decorated room.  In front of him is a tape recorder.  He presses down the record button and starts to talk.  "November 17th, 2085, Veritas Project, day one, Earth Force, Major Marcus Boyd speaking.  As instructed, I will go over the events of my day upon my arrival here at Section 3 in what was once northern Canada," he spoke evenly as he closed his eyes and let the day's events replay before his eyes.

****The helicopter landed at the airstrip at Section 3.  The pilot waved at Maj. Boyd before he lifted off, wishing him good luck at his new job.  Boyd headed to the one visible entrance to the vast underground area that was Section 3, a long bunker with one door, guarded by two guards with pulse rifles.  He was stopped as the guards checked his papers against theirs'.  Satisfied that the black haired, late-twenties man in front of them was who he said he was and had clearance, they entered a numerical password simultaneously on separate keypads and pushed the doors open for Boyd.

            A man in his mid-twenties in fatigues was sitting inside the entrance.  He looked up casually, then got up to greet Boyd.  Boyd saluted the second the man, a Colonel, got up.  The Colonel saluted back and spoke.  "Probably should have told you in your orders, but around here, you are at ease unless you are guarding something or I tell you otherwise."

            "Colonel Zack Hartnett, I presume?"  Boyd asked the man as he glanced at the name tag to confirm.

            "Just Zack, unless their happens to be another Colonel or higher around," he laughed.  "Give me that bag, it's a long walk to your quarters," he ordered, taking one of the two large duffel bags from the Major.  "Let's go, we'll go drop this off, then I'll show you the ropes," Zack ordered as he walked to the center of the bunker where a dozen men with pulse rifles were guarding an elevator.

            The men saluted and opened the doors for them.  Once they were inside Zack continued talking to Marcus.  "So this is Section 3.  What do you know about what we do here, official and unofficial?"  Zack asked, always amused by the responses he got from new officers.

            "Officially, you are listed as a weapon development site.  Which must not be true, since I have no experience with design at all.  Unofficially it is rumored that you are fighting a war out here against the remains of Alpha's army," he explained to the higher ranking, but younger officer.  "Also they say the commander here is a little bit eccentric."

            "No time to pull punches here.  They say I'm insane," Zack laughed as the elevator stopped and he led Marcus down a hallway.  "You're right, about our official business, but the unofficial is only half right.  We have been monitoring a conflict here for the past five years.  The remains of Alpha's army have been battling a man who we must assume is Travis Starmore several miles outside our base for half a decade.  We have been observing, making sure none of Alpha's forces get by him."  They continued to move through the submarine-like bowels of the base for another minute before Zack continued.  "But if it is Starmore, that means a 90 plus year old man is out there doing our job for us.  In any event, your mission is to prepare a detailed report of what actually happened, the events surrounding Travis Starmore and World War 3.  We have had copies of many documents and pictures from a decade before and after the war brought here to help you in your research.  You will also have class 9 access to all Earth computer records."

            "Class 9?"  Marcus asked, making sure he heard correctly.

            "Yup, you get to see all but the very worst government secrets from the last hundred years," Zack laughed.  "If you attempt to access any class 10 files, you will be shot on sight.  This is not a joke, I have class 10 and your computer use will be monitored for accessing restricted areas," Zack said seriously.  They finally stopped walking at an unmarked door.  "You need to retina scan to get in," Zack gestured at the device beside the door.

            Marcus looked into the device, and the door opened, recognizing his retina.  They entered the room, dropping the bags on the lone bed.  "This is your place, you have your own bathroom, there's some sheets and blankets in the closet," he gestured.  "Any questions?"

            "Not about the accommodations," Marcus said.

            "Fine, ask me as I show you the Mess Hall," Zack said as they left the room and headed down the hallway.

            "What am I supposed to research?  Everyone knows the legend of what happened," Marcus pointed out.

            "Yes, they all know the legend that he came out of nowhere to stop Alpha WEAPON and saved the Earth in process.  But you are to find the truth.  Where he was, how he had the power to stop the WEAPON, why he is not dead, and where he has been the last seventy-odd years.  The higher ups are very uneasy about the situation going on outside this bunker," Zack explained.  

            They came to the Mess Hall, where Zack introduced him to several officers sitting together.  "Major Marcus Boyd, meet Captain Elena Toskavich, First Lieutenant Joshua Cole, and Tech Sergeant Erik Swanson.  They will be working with you on the project and will take over showing you the rest of the base.  I look forward to results, Major," Zack said as he left the Mess Hall.

            "Are you hungry?" Elena asked in a thick Russian accent.

            "No thanks, I had some food on the helicopter.  So do you three work here, or did you just get here like me?"  Marcus asked the three of them.

            "Oh, we work here.  Good old Section 3, the most secret place on the planet," Erik said laughingly.

            "If it's so secret, what's with all the lax attitude?" Marcus asked.

            "Just to take everyone's mind off the current situation going on above us.  They actually do the weapons research that they say they do, down on the bottom floor.  No one ever tries to get in here though, there's barely anyone left on this rock to begin with.  No one wants to come to the middle of a desert to try to steal a weapon, there's no way to get out with it," Cole explained.

            "Colonel Hartnett had us relocated closer to your room so you don't get lost.  They are off duty today.  I will show you the computer lab, file room, and recreation hall now," Elena said with her Russian accent.  

            A couple hours later he said goodbye to Elena and entered his room.  He spotted a package with a note on it on his desk.  He read the paper to himself.  _You are to document your work each day and drop it off to me in my office.  I will then forward it to Earth Force Command.  Enclosed is a tape recorder and a dozen tapes.  –Colonel Hartnett._  He sighed and opened the box to archive his day.

            "And here I am.  Working in Section 3, digging around in the past, trying to find the truth about an event that happened seventy years ago.  The Colonel is a bit odd.  It seems strange that he is as young as he is and is in charge.  I'll see if the others know what the deal is.  Other than that, supposing I don't get shot or killed by whatever is happening above ground, I guess I'll get to work tomorrow," he finished as he clicked off the tape and unpacked his things, preparing for sleep.


	40. Canto 4 : Earth : Verse 2 : The Legend o...

**_The Song of Eternity_**

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**_Canto 4 : Earth_**

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**_Verse 2_**

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**_The Legend of Starmore_**

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**_He looks into the story,_**

**_He sees past it,_**

**_He wonders what really was,_**

**_And prepares to look for the truth._**

****

            "November 19th, 2085, Veritas Project, day 3, Earth Force Major Marcus Boyd reporting," Marcus said into the recorder as he shuffled the papers in front of him.  "The Colonel informed me that my assistants have other jobs and will only really do whatever research and errands I need.  I guess that is for the best, to keep whatever I find secret.  Anyway, today's report will focus on the official events of World War 3 and Travis Starmore's involvement."

            "The information surrounding Starmore before the war is sketchy at best  There is a birth certificate showing a Travis Starmore born in rural Pennsylvania, outside of what was Pittsburgh on February 15th 1994.  That would mean that the person battling above this installation, is 91 years old.  I have yet to witness a battle yet, but will make my report on the subject as soon as possible," Marcus dictated as he grabbed another folder of papers.   

            "There are a few school records surviving from the time as well, indicating a normal childhood and life until he and a Nathan Starmore, his brother, disappear on his birthday in 2011.  His brother was never heard from again.  We're working on getting a list of students at the school he attended and seeing if any of them are still alive today for interviews."  Marcus closed the folder and leaned back in his chair as he recited the next part of his report from memory.

            "On March 4th, 2015, the Alpha WEAPON appeared near the Ural Mountains in Russia.  No action was taken and the WEAPON disappeared shortly afterwards.  It reappeared three weeks later, erupting from the ground itself outside of the Kremlin with an army of robotic soldiers.  Russia's leaders were killed that day, ending its history as a country.  As later intelligence figured, it dug into the rich mineral deposits and used its advanced nanotechnology to build its army.  It swept through everything in a hundred mile radius of the Kremlin, leaving no survivors.  During the next six months it swept through 80% of Russia, most of China, the entire Middle East, and Europe east of the Rhine."

            "The refugees from the countries were evacuated to Canada, the United States, and Australia.  Our weapons were pitifully ineffective against their forces and they continued to sweep through all of Asia, Europe, and Africa by August of 2016.  It then gathered its forces and attacked the eastern seaboard of the United States.  The military did what they could to hold them off long enough to allow the civilians to escape, but there were heavy casualties," he stopped as he grabbed a black military folder from the drawer to his right.  

            "When the WEAPON's armies crossed the Mississippi River, a counterstrike was launched at where the Alpha WEAPON was commanding his forces from in an island he created in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.  The President at the time launched the full nuclear arsenal at the Alpha WEAPON.  Two things happened as a result of this action.  First of all, the island was vaporized, but the WEAPON survived.  Many of the WEAPON's troops were lost, but the main force was still in the Midwest.  Second was the resulting weather patterns of present day, meaning the dust cloud in the atmosphere and the shift in the Earth's magnetic poles, resulting in the current temperate zone running through what was once Canada, Russia, and the south Pacific."  
            "The United States, backed up by whatever military was left at the time from other countries was losing a lot of ground to the forces that were not destroyed by the nukes.  By December we were pushed back to Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada.  This is where the word of mouth conflicts with the official governmental story," Marcus sighed as he looked between two sheets of paper.

            "The common word among the people is that Travis Starmore appeared in a flash of white light and vaporized the WEAPON's army.  This, along with his actions in the later stages of the war has led to a form of worship by many people nowadays.  They say he died and returned from the grave to save the world.  The military story is much stranger.  They say that he was genetically engineered from some cell samples they had from Travis Starmore before he disappeared.  They scientists say that he broke free and attacked the enemy forces with an unknown power that had manifested after the nuclear explosions.  The only problem is that according to most of our research, there was no technology there to facilitate the engineering of such a life-form," Marcus frowned.

            "In any event, most of the enemy forces were destroyed and Starmore was on our side.  He spoke with the General of the United States military forces at the time, General Joshua Stumpf, and agreed to help in the fight.  General Stumpf liberated several prototype energy rifles from the ruins of Nellis and put them into mass production, finally giving the human race a chance against the invaders."

            "The next year and a half consisted of us systematically pushing back their forces, abolishing the remaining countries on Earth, forming a new Earth government, and Starmore battling the Alpha WEAPON dozens of times, leaving destruction in their wake.  Finally, the majority of the forces were pinned down in central Africa where Starmore either disappeared, taking the WEAPON to Hell with him if you believe that theory, or sacrificing himself to destroy the WEAPON.  Either way, they were both gone and thankfully Alpha has stayed gone."

            "I plan on talking to whoever I can find that was alive at the time period, but most importantly am going to talk to General Stumpf next week.  Lieutenant Cole believes that he may have found some video footage from Nellis that I need to view, and Elena is digging into the list of people old enough to remember the war."

            "I will find the truth behind these events soon," he finished as he clicked off the machine.


	41. Canto 4 : Earth : Verse 3 : The General

**_The Song of Eternity_**

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**_Canto 4 : Earth_**

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**_Verse 3_**

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**_The General_**

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**_He meets the one who led Earth against the evil,_**

**_He meets the one who knew Starmore the best,_**

**_While watched by one who knows the truth,_**

**_But is determined to ignore it._**

****

            Major Marcus Boyd walked off the helicopter and waved at it as it took back off into the air.  He turned quickly and walked to the rooftop entrance of the building and entered after his retina was scanned.  He was greeted by a pair of Earth Force guards who escorted him to a room several floors down.  He was told to take a seat, that someone would be with him shortly.  One guard stood casually by the door as the other threw some logs on the fire in the fireplace.  

            Marcus and the guards all stood up stiffly at attention as an old man was wheeled himself into the room.  "At ease boys, take it easy," the old man said.  Marcus took a seat as the guards left the room.  "So you must be Major Boyd, I've heard a lot about you," the man greeted Marcus as he wheeled himself in front of the Major.

            "What do you mean sir?  I've only been on this project for a week and a half," Marcus asked as he wondered if the man was senile.

            "That would be from me," came a familiar voice as Colonel Hartnett walked into the room and took a seat on the couch beside the pair of them.

            "Sir, why are you here?"

            "Simple.  To protect you from hearing class 10 classified things.  I have briefed General Stumpf here," he nodded at the old man," on what things you are not to hear about.  Both he and you know the penalty for divulging or hearing such information, so I expect no problems."

            "Don't worry about Hartnett, I gave him his command.  Now, I hear you wanted to ask me about Starmore and World War 3.  Go ahead, ask me anything," Stumpf ordered.  "And in the interest of keeping both of us healthy, pick your words carefully."

            "Fine.  First I want to ask you of what you know of Travis Starmore's childhood," Marcus said as he eyed the Colonel with suspicion.

            "Not much, just that he disappeared, then I met him at Nellis," Stumpf explained.

            "Sir, this is a military inquiry.  I will ask you again, did you know him before Nellis," Marcus asked as he opened his folder and looked over some papers.

            "No, I did not," Stumpf said as he too eyed the Colonel.

            "I discovered proof of you and someone of the same name and description as Travis Starmore knowing each other in the same area where you and Starmore both reportedly grew up," Marcus said as he looked up at Stumpf who was looking at the Colonel.  

            "What proof?  The only proof of that is locked away under class 10 clearance," Hartnett said as he placed his hand on his gun.

            "The newspaper records, that's what you found, right?" Stumpf asked Marcus.

            "Yes, sir," Marcus confirmed as he handed both of them copies of old newspaper articles showing names and pictures of Stumpf and Starmore on a high school cross country team.  

            "In the future today, tell me when you find things like this so I don't end up shooting you," Hartnett ordered as he pondered the situation.  "Since it wasn't under class 10 you are free to talk about it, but keep in mind you may be asked to forget about it later," he said as he sat back to let them talk.

            "Yes, I knew him.  We were best friends up until he and his brother disappeared," Stumpf explained.

            "Did he ever exhibit any signs hinting at what happened later in his life?"

            "Did he ever blow something up with an energy blast?  No, he did not.  He led a normal life before his disappearance," Stumpf explained.

            "What is the official story that you can tell me about his involvement in World War 3, with class 9 clearance of course," Marcus asked the general.

            "We were retreating towards the California coast at the time.  I had assumed command due to all officers above me in the ranks being killed in the war.  We stopped for supplies at Nellis and were pinned down in battle against Alpha's forces when it happened.  There were two explosions.  The first one made a hole leading out of Nellis's basement labs, which he floated out of.  The second came from him as he blasted the WEAPON's forces into nothingness," Stumpf explained.

            "After that he helped us hold off the main armies while he battled Alpha itself until they both disappeared in a black flash of light over Africa.  Most of the unclassified documents are correct in their telling of his battles," he narrated.

            "Then why the secrecy surrounding his past?"

            "Who knows, I was busy fighting a war.  You'll need class 10 to find out the truth," Stumpf shrugged, wondering if the Major had another surprise up his sleeve.

            "Sir, is there a VCR here?" Boyd asked as he pulled out a tape from his bag.

            "Yes…" Stumpf was cut off as Hartnett broke in.          

            "That tape will be class 10 in a month Major.  Tell him what is on it, you may discuss its repercussions, but unless your report is done by the New Year, you will not be able to use this information," Hartnett ordered.

            "That tape has footage of Travis Starmore being kept in a lab under Nellis from roughly the same time as the Alpha WEAPON appeared in Russia," Boyd explained.  "The audio is poor, so I was hoping you could tell me how they engineered him so quickly," Boyd asked.

            The other two men chuckled a bit before Stumpf talked again.  "Engineered him?  We could barely clone sheep back then.  He was no test tube monstrosity.  The truth is much worse.  Those scientists found his nearly dead corpse in the desert and kept him sedated for a year and a half until he broke free and saved my men and I.  That's why we circulated the story about genetic engineering, to avoid public backlash," Stumpf explained.

            "What of his arm then?  There are reports of him having only one arm, along with reports of it being metal, or pure energy.  What is the truth?

            "When they found him, his right arm was missing from just above the elbow down.  As he rested it reformed in a rough energy shape of an arm, which is how they invented pulse rifles at Nellis, by studying him.  Later after a battle in which he took a chunk out of Alpha, he formed the metal into an arm and fused it with the energy to create a new arm," Stumpf said as he thought back to the incident.  "It was an amazing display of power, what he did."

            "I only really have one more question.  Is he dead?"

            "No one knows, but from what Hartnett tells me, it appears he has returned," Stumpf guessed.  

            "That is all I really have to ask you sir.  I thank you for your time," Boyd said appreciatively as he stood up and shook Stumpf's hand.

            "No problem at all, now go back up to the roof, I am sure Hartnett wishes to speak to me before he leaves as well," Stumpf ordered.

            The guards led him to the roof shortly afterwards where one watched the door and the other turned to talk to him.  "This is a message from the General.  If you want to know the truth about Starmore, watch him battle.  Look into the past of Colonel Hartnett as well.  That is all," the guard finished as Hartnett came up the stairs and spoke to a helicopter pilot through a walkie-talkie.

            "Hope you learned what you needed Boyd.  You're mucking up everything that is classified and unclassified, I'm going to have to contact some people, see what needs to stay secret and what you can put in your report," Hartnett explained as a helicopter came out of the sky towards the rooftop.

            "Sir, why didn't you tell me you would be here?  More importantly, why were you here?  I was supposed to have freedom to interview eyewitnesses as I wished," Boyd said coldly.

            "Just doing my job.  Just trying to get all the loose ends tied up," Hartnett muttered as the helicopter landed and they got on.


	42. Canto 4 : Verse 4 : Finale

**_The Song of Eternity_**

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**_Canto 4 : Earth_**

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**_Verse 4_**

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**_Finale_**

****

**_The end of the year grows nearer,_**

**_Starmore battles the forces of darkness,_**

**_As the watcher observes,_**

**_And stumbles upon the truth._**

****

            "December 28th, 2085, Veritas Project, T minus three days until deadline for this report, Earth Force Major Marcus Boyd reporting," Marcus spoke as he sat dejected in his room.  "The findings of this report have been very discouraging.  Over the last month or so, I have only had the chance to observe Starmore once, yesterday."

            "There has been little or no progress over the last month.  We have found no records of survivors from the World War 3 time period besides General Stumpf.  This project was doomed from the start it seems and I am taking the time to formally complain about Colonel Hartnett's involvement in the situation," he said as he made excuses for his lack of findings.

            "It is my belief that he knows the truth that this project is desperately seeking, but for unknown reasons is doing his best to conceal it.  This comes after the interview with Stumpf where he obviously stopped the General from telling me some things as well as several items being changed to class 10 clearance after I requested them."

            "As far as my findings go, the being battling above this base is probably Travis Starmore," he stated as he thought back to the live video feed he had watched yesterday.  "His appearance, clad in black, and his power to emit energy blasts that match the blasts we had recorded from the war lead to my conclusion that he did not die in Africa.  But as to where he has been for so long, there is no conclusion that can be made.  He battled what appeared to be the last of Alpha's forces today according to satellite readouts, so I believe he will disappear again."

            "All in all, this project was a wild goose chase, uncovering little more than half-truths that many suspected to begin with.  Nothing more will be discovered until all level 10 clearance information is declassified and people like General Stumpf tell the whole truth.  This is Major Marcus Boyd signing off, I am going to take this tape over to Colonel Hartnett now.  This will be my last report, unless something major comes up," he finished as he clicked the recorder off and pocketed it.

            He left his room in a disheartened mood after wasting the last month of his life on a dead end project.  He walked silently to the Colonel's room and knocked on the door.  When there was no answer, he called out.  "Colonel!  Are you in there?"  He had not seen the Colonel since before the battle yesterday and thought maybe he had hurt himself and was unable to get help.  He placed his eye to the retina scan and spoke.  "Door override, Major Marcus Boyd speaking, possible medical emergency."  The door whirred and opened, allowing him to enter the Colonel's darkened room.

            He felt for a light switch, but was stopped as a small light appeared at the other side of the room, briefly illuminating the Colonel as he lit up a cigarette.  "Leave those lights off.  There's a chair behind you, take a seat Major," the Colonel ordered as he sucked on the cigarette.

            "Sorry for the intrusion sir, but I thought that you might have been injured," Marcus apologized.

            "Injured…ha," the Colonel laughed as he sat there in the dark.  "You brought the tape?" 

            "Yes, sir.  This will be the final tape unless something else turns up," Marcus explained.

            "Understood.  Do you have any regrets about this project?"  

            "Excuse any insubordination here sir, but I feel like you have been trying to sabotage this project since day one for unknown reasons," Marcus said, glad to get it off his chest.

            "I wouldn't say sabotage, more like slow down.  I am sorry if it came across that way," Hartnett said without emotion.  "You should find a tape on the table next to you, put it in your recorder and turn it on," the Colonel ordered as Marcus followed his instructions.  "I know you looked into my past a bit as well.  Now using all you have found out in the last month, figure out what is going on," Hartnett ordered as the sound of a gun's safety clicking off sounded through the room.

            "Sir, there was very little to find about you.  Only a name and a serial number really.  There were no records of your past before coming here and assuming command under the direct orders of General Stumpf when the battles on the surface began.  As far as I can tell, you did not exist before five years ago," he said as he wondered if the Colonel would shoot him.

            "Excellent, continue," Hartnett ordered as he lit another cigarette.

            "As far as I can tell, you were someone important, that was given a new name by the General.  Why you were assigned here is beyond me," Marcus admitted.

            "And what of Starmore's battles aboveground?" 

            "As far as I can tell he has no other agenda than to destroy the remnants of Alpha's forces and should not be considered a threat to Earth."

            "Good, you have figured out many things.  I will be leaving this post tonight, Major.  I will now fill in several things that I know and that Earth Force will figure out in time.  The things he was battling were coming out of a factory that Alpha buried under the ground in an old mine.  There was a prototype WEAPON stored there, it came alive five years ago and began to attack and test this base.  It finally came out itself, along with the rest of its forces yesterday and was destroyed by Starmore.  The prototype was controlled by a nanovirus WEAPON from another dimension," Hartnett explained as if it was no big deal.

            "Sir, how do you know all this?"

            "There is a flashlight on the table next to you.  There are several photographs as well.  The first is of Starmore before he left Earth," Hartnett explained as Marcus turned the light on and examined the photo.  "The second is of him as they held him at Nellis.  These are the best photos of him we have," Hartnett explained as Marcus clicked the light off.

            "Sir…  I do not understand this…  Why have you slowed down the project and tried to hide the truth?"  Marcus asked him confusedly.

            "Simple, how could I still be living here comfortably if the truth was out there?  All the class 10 documents that you need to tell the whole truth of Starmore's imprisonment here on Earth while the planet was destroyed are on disk on that table as well.  They are a gift to you to do with as you will, I do not care anymore.  I just needed to slow down your report until Alpha's forces were destroyed."

            "Sir, can I turn the lights on?"

            "If you must," Hartnett gave in.

            As Marcus's eyes adjusted to the light he looked over to where the Colonel sat lazily in a chair.  He was covered in blood and dress in all black.  The thing that Marcus recognized immediately was the metal arm.  "Why the ruse?  Why keep it a secret all this time?"

            "I'm worshipped by people here.  I'm just a man, I didn't want them to know it was me," Starmore explained as he got to his feet.  "Tell the General I said goodbye."

            "Where are you going?"

            "I have ten more of those nanovirus WEAPONs to hunt down.  They killed my family and took all I held dear.  You have all you need to tell everyone the truth.  The files on those disks will tell about how I could have saved so many lives, but the fools at Nellis kept me locked away while watching the world burn.   I contacted Stumpf earlier today, he will tell you whatever you need to know.  You can go on letting the populous believe whatever they wish, or you can give them the whole truth, the choice is yours.  I do not care, I will not be here," he finished.

            "What was this all about sir?  Why did you come back?  Just to stop the nanoWEAPON?"  Marcus questioned him as Starmore made a portal appear out of thin air.

            "Of course.  I do not care about the people here in the slightest.  I want my revenge and I will kill anyone who gets in my way," Starmore said darkly as he left Earth, never to return again to his barren homeland.


	43. Canto 5 : Verse 1 : Darkness

**_The Song of Eternity_**

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**_Canto 5 : Darkness_**

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**_Verse 1_**

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**_He awakes to a familiar face,_**

**_Only to wish he stayed asleep._**

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            Vincent opened his eyes to see nothing but blurred areas of darkness and light.  He listened closely to his surroundings, hearing the breathing of someone else in the room.  He blinked as the black outline of a human form appeared in his blurred world.  "What is going on?" he asked as he tried to remember why he was in suspended animation again.

            "You've been out a while, 'bout half a million years to be exact," the blur said as it help Vincent to sit up.  "Your memory should come back soon, no way to know exactly when considering you're the only nut who puts himself into suspended animation indefinitely," the voice joked as Vincent rubbed his temples.

            "Half a million years?"  _Half a million…  Vincent ignored Chaos in his head as his vision finally cleared.  He gazed over to the one who had awoken him, seeing the man dressed all in black with a black trench coat.  Vincent's eyes glanced at the man's silver metal arm before he remembered a name.  "Keep?"_

            "Been a while since I heard that one," the man joked.  "Just call me Travis, or Starmore, whatever suits you best.  C'mon, let's get outta this dump," he said as he exited through a hole in the wall.  It was actually a tunnel leading through rock to the surface of the planet.  "Feels good to be out of the box, doesn't it?"

            "Yes…  Why did I go to sleep again?"  Vincent asked the man while he tried to regain his memory.

            "No idea.  Ask the demon, maybe he remembers," Starmore asked, somewhat surprising Vincent that he knew about Chaos.

            _You could not control me.  That is why you slept, to keep me from killing people.  "Chaos grew too strong, I could not contain him.  I slept to protect the world from his destruction," Vincent explained to Starmore._

            "Why bother?" Starmore whispered so quietly that Vincent missed it.  "Here, I know a good bar with good food near here, let's go," Starmore said suddenly as he grabbed Vincent and they both disappeared in a puff of smoke.  "Here we are," Starmore said as he opened a door and they entered the restaurant.

            After they were seated by a scared waitress, Vincent spoke to Starmore.  "Why did you wake me?  To have dinner?  I'm remembering some things about you, but they don't make much sense.  Why did you wake me?" Vincent asked as he stared at Starmore.

            "Getting anxious, aren't we?"  Starmore said with a bit of annoyance.  "Fine, you want to know what is going on?  I'll tell you," he said as they disappeared and reappeared floating in the air above a city.  "As you may be remembering, I am a person of great power, much more than you know actually.  This world is corrupted.  Every human being is infected and controlled by something creating a hive-mind consciousness.  My enemies sent one of their WEAPONs here, it merged with what was left of your Jenova and infected and took control of everyone on this planet.  They know us, the WEAPON knows me and Jenova knows you.  They would have eventually found and killed you.  Now, go away while I show you what we must do," Starmore ordered as Vincent was transported to a hill outside the city.

            Vincent watched in confusion as a figure, Starmore, shone bright like a star.  Small lights appeared around the perimeter of the city and changed into huge fires.  The fires grew, reaching high into the sky, filling it with flames and smoke.  "He cannot be serious…"  Vincent whispered to himself as he heard people scream as they were cooked alive.  The flames ballooned outwards as something in the center of the city exploded.  

            Starmore appeared next to Vincent shortly afterwards, staring at the destroyed and burning city.  "They were my enemy," he said calmly.

            "You killed an entire city of innocent people," Vincent commented.  _Easy Valentine, he may kill you as well if you anger him._

            "They were corrupted.  They were being used by Garland.  They were my enemies and yours," Starmore said to Vincent.

            "What do you plan to do?"  _Valentine, choose your words carefully.  You can tell it can't you?  The eyes, the dead eyes, he is focused on death only.  He is insane._

"I've identified all the souls on this planet that are tainted.  I will kill them all.  And anyone that gets in my way," Starmore said as he glanced at Vincent.  "You need to control Chaos better.  Let him out, together the three of us will cleanse this world of the evil."

            _Excellent…  "You both are mad," Vincent replied.  _

            "You will cooperate, whether you like it or not," Starmore said as he waved his hand and an envelope of energy surrounded Vincent.  "Let us begin," he said as the envelope faded and Vincent was transformed into Chaos.  "I'll find them for us, then we kill them all, understood?  They'll know we are coming from here on out and will try to escape."

            "They will not escape me," Chaos grinned as he thought of the prospect of killing humans once again.


	44. Canto 5 : Verse 2 : Darkness

**_The Song of Eternity_**

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**_Canto 5 : Darkness_**

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**_Verse 2_**

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**_They talk of his enemies,_**

**_While they continue to do what they must._****__**

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            Vincent opened his eyes once again, only to wish he was still asleep.  He looked over to see Starmore tending a fire.  "Where are we?"  Starmore looked over, somewhat surprised to see Vincent awake.

            "No idea, never got around to learning where everything was due to continental shift," Starmore shrugged.  "We're in some woods outside the city from last night," he said, causing Vincent to recall what Starmore and Chaos had done last night.  He closed his eyes tightly, willing the images of death to disappear.  

            "How many are left?" Vincent asked as he took the unknown meat that Starmore was roasting and handed to him.

            "Too many to count really, maybe a couple million.  Don't worry, I can sense them.  We're safe here," Starmore said as he sat with his back up against a tree.

            Vincent sat there in silence, eating as he tried to ignore what he and Starmore had done over the last few weeks.  They had been systematically going around and eliminating entire cities.  "How many of the WEAPONs have you found?"  Vincent questioned Starmore.

            "Well, there were 12 of them that left Gaia," Starmore said as he closed his eyes.  "There was the one that possessed Sephiroth, then this one that got Jenova.  One went back to my home planet, but I got that one.  There was one on this planet full of vampires.  It was a real bitch to take out," he said as he counted up to four on his hand.  "Then this one planet was strange.  The planet was very mystical and had a tree growing from the center of the planet.  The WEAPON took control of the tree.  So, as I tried to destroy it, the entire populous of the planet tried to fight me.  And as I've said before, I'll kill anyone that gets in my way," he said before falling silent.

            Vincent sat in silence for a bit as he watched the fire.  He shook his head, stood up and walked off into the woods.  After he left the clearing a figure emerged from the shadows of the forest and slowly and silently walked towards Starmore's sleeping form.  It was a young woman, no more than twenty years old.  She was covered in ash, apparently coming from the city that was just destroyed.  She stopped a foot from Starmore and silently pulled out a gun.  She stopped as she heard the click of another gun behind her.

            She turned around with her hands in the air to stare at the barrel of Vincent's Death Penalty.  "You've been out there for a while, what do you have to gain by killing him?" Vincent asked as he took the gun from her.  She stayed silent and just stared at Vincent.  "You are from the city," Vincent said as he realized why she was so dirty.  "I am sorry, but it was necessary.  Do you know who I am?"  Vincent questioned the woman as he holstered his gun.

            "Vincent Valentine the one who killed our son," the woman said in an otherworldly voice.

            Vincent immediately pulled his gun back out and pointed it at her head.  "Jenova," Vincent said as he realized the hopelessness of the world he was now in.  "Damn you for making me do this," he swore as he pulled the trigger and the woman fell to the ground.  Vincent sat back down and stared at the fire, leaving the body where it fell.  "Why'd you make me do that?" he said out loud.

            "Because you needed to see for yourself.  You needed to see that this was the only way," Starmore explained as he kept his eyes closed.  "I want you to help, to snipe them as they run.  If you let the demon do everything, he will overtake you," Starmore said as Vincent glanced at the body.

            "Are we going to kill them all?"  

            "I don't think that's necessary, there are a couple of tribes of humans living in some desolate places that aren't infected with Jenova and Garland.  They'll live and repopulate the planet after we take care of the others," Starmore said as he finally opened his eyes.

            "Fine, I'll help you," Vincent said quietly.  "Do you have any idea about separating Chaos from myself yet?"

            "No, I haven't.  I haven't seen anything like your condition yet," Starmore shook his head.  

            "Very well, let's get back to work," Vincent replied. 


	45. Canto 5 : Verse 3 : Darkness

**_The Song of Eternity_**

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**_Canto 5 : Darkness_**

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**_Verse 3_**

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**_In the end they part ways,_**

**_One sleeps and the other leaves to finish his mission._**

****

            Vincent stared through the scope on a sniper rifle as he continued to squeeze off shots.  He had long ago lost whatever pity and regret he had for the people that he and Starmore had and were killing.  He squinted as he stared through the smoke surrounding the burning city.  As the last of the people fleeing the city fell, Starmore appeared behind him.  "Good, all the cities are destroyed," Starmore said as Vincent stood up.  "All I have to do now is hunt down a couple thousand in hiding and wipe out the remains of their civilization so the isolated pockets of barbarians can evolve naturally."

            "My job is done then, you can handle the rest of this," Vincent said as he tossed the rifle to the ground.  "I want to go now," he said as he stared up in the sky at the stars.

            "If that is what you wish," Starmore nodded as he grabbed Vincent and they both were transported to the chamber where Vincent had slept for half a million years.  They both looked around, noticing that the entrance Starmore made had collapsed.  "What was this place anyway?"

            "The Shinra mansion.  Nibelheim," Vincent explained as he looked at the dust covering everything.  "How long did it take Travis?" he asked, using Starmore's first name.

            "Five years, not too bad," Starmore replied as he unerringly kept track of time.  "You sure you want to go back to sleep?  You could come with me, help me find the rest of the WEAPONs," Starmore said as Vincent opened up the suspended animation chamber.  

            "You can take care of it.  You could have taken care of this by yourself, but I think you were dying to talk to someone," Vincent said as he climbed into the chamber.  

            "Probably," Starmore replied, frowning.

            "You be careful out there, you don't want to lose your humanity," Vincent said as he unhooked some of his guns and laid them in the chamber with him.

            "Humanity?  I lost that long ago," Starmore said as he looked down at his hand.

            "No, you are like me.  Everyone we've ever known or cared about is dead, some of them at our own hands.  But you still have your humanity, otherwise you would have just killed everyone on this planet," Vincent said, causing Starmore to shake his head.

            "Whatever you say," Starmore said without caring as he operated the hibernation chamber's controls.  "I have a question before you go down.  Do you still hear all four demons?"

            "Every day," Vincent replied.

            "Strange, the souls within my mind are growing distant," Starmore mused as the chamber's lid closed.  "Goodbye Valentine," he said as he watched until Vincent was asleep.  "Time to get back to work, maybe we'll meet again."  He said before he left the room in a burst of smoke.  Vincent was aware of him leaving and let his mind drift away as the darkness claimed him for another 500,000 years.


	46. Canto 6 : Galactus : Verse 1 : Future Sh...

_This is the start of canto 6, based on a story by Great X-scape.  The original story is called Codenames: Shadow of Chaos and I think it is in the X-men Evolution section.  Anyway, to prepare you for possible confusion, it's been a million years since Sephiroth was defeated and the world is now populated like an alternate X-Men universe, my own personal X-Men Evolution type since I like the idea.  For those of you who have no idea what X-men Evolution is, it's X-Men as teenagers, you'll catch on quick.  Anyway, here it goes, it shouldn't be too confusing, more focus on Vincent and Chaos than Starmore in this Canto._

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**_The Song of Eternity_**

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**_Canto 6 : Galactus_**

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**_Verse 1 _**

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**_Future Shock_**

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**_He awakes to a brave new world,_**

**_And finds his way._**

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****

            A ray of light broke appeared in the long darkened room.  The room was an anomaly, buried far below the surface of the Earth, hidden from human eyes for a million years.  There were several decaying pieces of furniture littering the chamber.  The walls of the chamber were wood long ago, but had become petrified, then replaced with rock.  A section of the wall fell inward, throwing up a cloud of dust and revealing several figures.

            "Damn dust," swore the first one who made his way into the room.  He was a short man with a miner's helmet with a lamp on his head.  He coughed for a bit, then looked around as the dust settled.  "Some kind of a room, nothing moving though," he said with a gruff Canadian accent.

            "Any sign of him or her?" asked a man in a wheelchair who was pushed in by a third man.  The man in the wheelchair was totally bald, a great contrast to his companion.  The man pushing him was over six feet tall, heavily muscled, and covered in blue fur.

            "Just use your own powers.  Can't you sense him?" the first man asked.

            "No, I cannot Logan.  But that is expected, he had eluded my detection this long, so I am interested in how he or she has done so," the man in the wheelchair said as the blue furred man pushed him into the room.

            "Whatever Chuck," Logan replied as he pointed at the large dust covered object in the center of the room.  "What do you suppose that is Hank?"

            The blue furred man walked forward and started to wipe dust from the object.  He turned his flashlight on and examined the structure for several minutes before turning to the others.  "It appears to be some sort of a suspended animation chamber.  I believe I can open it," Hank explained.

            "Whoever is down here must be inside that thing," Charles stated.  "Open it up, but be careful, it may be dangerous," he warned as Hank turned back to the machine and began to press buttons.

            "Amazing, something so old, yet so advanced," Hank marveled as he worked the machine.

            "Yeah, a real wonder o' the world," Logan replied sarcastically as he sniffed the air.  "This place smells like death, Chuck.  I don't like it."

            "I understand, but this warrants our examination," Charles replied as Hank took a step back from the machine.

            "Viola, I give you one opened suspended animation chamber," Hank said pleased with himself.  The machine beeped several times, then hissed as it opened up like a coffin, revealing the figure inside.  They crowded close to the still form, eager to see the mystery man.  He was pale with long black hair.  He was dressed in black with a red cape resting around his shoulders.  "Oh my stars and garters," Hank marveled as he studied the figure's apparent prosthetic metal left arm.

            "I don't like this, the smell's got stronger.  Check out the guns," Logan said as he pointed at several guns lying beside the figure.

            "I still can't even sense him," Charles said as he stared at the figure.  "I'll check his pulse," he said as he wheeled next to the chamber and placed his fingers on the man's jugular.  

            "The question is, what is this place?" Hank said out loud as he examined where they broke through rock to enter the room.

            Logan walked over and kicked at a chair which shattered.  "He's been here a while, which doesn't make much sense, something this advanced being here for so long with nothing else like it around.  Alien maybe?" he guessed.

            "It is possible, but where is his ship?" Hank said.

            "Gentlemen, if you would care to turn around slowly," Charles said.  Hank and Logan turned to see the man pressing a gun to Charles's head.  "I believe he is scared, but my powers do not seem to affect him, so it would be best to do what he wants," Charles said as the man studied them.

            Vincent looked around the dark room wildly.  He was confused.  "What is going on, who are you people?" he asked as he looked over the three of them.  He felt bad about threatening the cripple, but he was closest and the others seemed to respect him.  The others were the real threats.  The blue one looked to be part monster, but the shorter one had an air about him that deserved attention.  "Who are you?"

            They looked back at him blankly, not understanding what he said.  They said something back to him, but he did not understand what they said.  _It sounds familiar, but I can't understand it.  _

            "What the hell's he saying Chuck?" Logan asked.

            "I cannot say.  It seems to be some form of an ancient Native American language," Charles said as the man fastened his other guns to his person and got out of the sleep chamber.  "Move away from the entrance, maybe it will make him less nervous."

            As they stepped away from the entrance, Vincent felt Chaos's mind awakening and tying to take over his body.  He grimaced and held his claw to his head.  "Not now," he muttered as he looked at the exit.  _Let me out Valentine!  Do not resist!  He stepped away to the far wall of the chamber, away from the three who had awakened him.  "Get out of here!" he shouted at them as they rushed forward and grabbed the man in the wheelchair.  He waved his hands for them to leave, but they stayed as he backed up against the wall of rock._

            He cried out in pain as he dropped to his knees and began to transform into Chaos.  His face contorted and changed colors as the demonic wings sprouted from his back.  "I am free!" Chaos roared as he uneasily stood up, eyeing up the three in front of him.  

            "Chuck, any ideas?" Logan said as his adamantium claws slid out from his forearms.

            "If he attacks, subdue him," Charles said as Logan and Hank stayed between him and Chaos.

            "Foolish humans!  You are nothing!" the demon shouted as it leapt and struck Hank and Logan, sending them slamming into the rock walls.  Chaos reached back to strike Charles, but stopped as he felt something in his mind.  _You are not as protected from me now.  We do not want to hurt you, but you must reassert control over this demon.  Chaos stumbled back as he felt Vincent reacting to the bald man's words, trying to take over their body again.  "Noooo!" Chaos screamed as his demonic flesh turned back to human and the wings disappeared into his back._

            Vincent looked around the room, glad to see that the three that woke him were still alive.  He felt the bald man trying to get into his mind, but knew that he would not be able to.  He shook his head as he felt the man stop trying to enter his mind.  He looked down at the ground ashamed that he could not control the demon.

            "Vincent Valentine," Charles said, causing Vincent to look up in surprise.  "You can't understand me, but we want you to come with us," he said as he gestured for Vincent to leave the room with them.

            Vincent nodded and helped by pushing the wheelchair up the long mineshaft as Logan and Hank went ahead at Charles's insistence.  "Chaos?"  Charles asked as he recalled the demon's name from their encounter.

            "Yes, my demon," Vincent replied, even though he knew Charles could not understand.

            As they emerged from the hole in the ground Vincent was surrounded by trees and a small dirt road.  He looked up at the stars, smiling at their familiarity.  He looked over to where Logan and Hank were waiting in a vehicle reminiscent of the buggy he and the others had a million years ago.  He and the others climbed into the jeep, placing Charles in the front and stowing the foldable wheelchair in the back.  

            Vincent examined the countryside as they drove away.  He couldn't understand their words, but felt a nagging in his mind that he should.  Instead he remembered what he and Starmore had done before he went under again.  He closed his eyes tightly and willed the images of death to retreat to the rear of his mind.  He realized that he must have been out a long time again, the world had recovered from whatever Starmore had done after they killed all the Jenova humans.

            They turned onto a highway and drove a bit longer until they came to a metal gate that opened as Logan pushed a button.  They drove up the driveway and stopped in front of a large mansion.  "They must be rich, this is a mansion," Vincent said as he and the others got out of the jeep.  

            Charles looked at him and spoke.  "What did you say?  I could have sworn you said mansion," he said causing Vincent to be surprised.

            "Mansion," Vincent said as he pointed at the building.  

            "Strange, he appears to know some English.  This is an intriguing development," Hank stated as Vincent scratched his chin puzzled.

            "We both know what a mansion is…   What am I missing here?" he asked himself as he tried to unlock the secret to their language.  _Moron__.  Chaos spoke to Vincent in the back of his head.  "What?" Vincent asked out loud, talking to the demon.  _You forgot so many things you learned as a Turk.  It is ridiculous._  Chaos taunted him before falling silent.  "As a Turk?" Vincent said to himself as he thought back to his training.  "All I learned was to kill and blend in…" he muttered to himself.  Mansion, why mansion, he thought to himself.  "Mansion is from religious Wutainese," he said as he finally realized what was going on._

            "Why the hell can he understand what a mansion is, but can't talk any more English?" Logan swore as they entered the house.

            "Because you are speaking an obscure language spoken by only a small religious sect where I come from," Vincent replied, shocking all three of them.  "I did not realize it until you understood mansion, it was taken in my native tongue from religious Wutainese," he explained.

            "Whatever bub, here we call it English," Logan replied as Hank stifled a laugh.


	47. Canto 6 : Galactus : Verse 2 : A Brave N...

**_The Song of Eternity_**

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**_Canto 6 : Galactus_**

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**_Verse 2_**

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**_A Brave New World_**

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**_He searches his surroundings,_**

**_And finds some more truths.  _**

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            Vincent took off his cape and hung it on a coat rack in Xavier's study.  He then unhooked his guns and leaned them against the wall.  He walked over to where Xavier was sitting by a roaring fire and took a seat.  "I apologize for my actions earlier," Vincent said as he looked into the flames.

            "It is quite all right," Xavier chuckled.  "You have the demon under control now?"

            "Yes, he is subdued," Vincent confirmed.  _Not for long Valentine.  "How did you find me?  That place was far underground the last time I left it," Vincent wondered._

            "Ahh, to explain that, it would be best to introduce myself," Xavier said.  "I am Professor Charles Xavier.  I am a mutant, a member of the latest genetic evolution of the human race.  Mutants are gifted with incredible powers that set us apart from normal man.  This is my school where I house and help train those who cannot control their powers."

            "The rest of the populous fears you.  They do not know that this place is what you say it is," Vincent said.  "People fear what they do not know, same as during my time," he stated.  "You can read minds.  Why can't you read mine?"

            "I do not know.  It is very strange, I can read Chaos's thoughts, but not yours," Xavier admitted.  "As to how we found you, that is a bit more interesting.  We were contacted by an unknown individual.  He told us over the phone that the devil was buried in our backyard, a mile underground.  I used my mutant detecting device and found nothing.  I could barely sense Chaos's mind.  I could feel it just enough to tell you were there.  Logan and Hank got to work with help from some of my other students and we uncovered the chamber earlier today," Xavier explained.

            "An unknown man…  Only one man knew I was there," Vincent said as he was forced to look away from the fire.

            Logan walked into the room and pulled up a chair by Xavier.  "The kids went to town with 'Ro," he explained to Xavier.  "McCoy went to do some carbon dating on some of the crap we found in that room.  My name's Logan.  What's your story?" he asked gruffly.

            "A long time ago I worked for a corrupt corporation.  I killed for them.  I fell in love with a woman, but she was married to a scientist.  We had an affair which produced a child.  Before it was born, the scientist injected her and the baby with the genetic material of Jenova, an alien.  Lucrecia died during childbirth and the boy, Sephiroth was taken by the scientist.  He immediately knew I was the father and in a fit of anger, shot me, mutated my arm, infected me with four demons, and locked me in a coffin for 30 years," Vincent explained.

            "I was awoken by a group of adventurers who were hunting down Sephiroth.  He had gone mad and was trying to destroy the planet.  In the course of our adventure we killed the scientist, Jenova, and Sephiroth.  Shortly afterward I went into suspended animation again because of the demons.  Six years later, a man named Starmore woke me.  Sephiroth was alive again and dominating the planet.  We met up with my old friends and took the fight to Sephiroth.  During the process, Starmore and I fell into the Lifestream," he was stopped by Xavier.

            "The Lifestream?"

            "The vast sea of green energy under the planet, where souls go when they die, mako?" he rattled off explanations of the Lifestream, none of them causing a reaction.  "Strange…   Anyway, while there three things were revealed.  Starmore was an amnesiac in control of an incredible power, Sephiroth was resurrected by one of Starmore's enemies from another dimension, and several of our dead acquaintances told us that one day I would be free from Chaos.  Once we were free I battled Sephiroth and defeated him.  Then Starmore's enemy brought him back to life again, forcing Starmore to use his power and kill him.  I went to sleep again, five years after that."

            "He woke me half a million years later.  Jenova and Starmore's enemies had taken control of almost everyone on the planet," Vincent leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.  "We killed them all.  All but maybe a hundred barbarians scattered in the wilderness.  We killed over a billion people," he admitted before leaning forward and holding his head in his hands.  "Then I went to sleep and you found me," he whispered as he stared into the fire.  "They would have killed me, but that still doesn't make it right."

            "That's a pretty tall tale you have there Valentine," Logan said in disbelief.  "Got anything to back it up?"

            Vincent reached for his belt and pulled a materia orb out of a pouch.  "Materia, made from condensed Lifestream," he explained.  "Fire," he commanded as a small sphere of fire appeared floating in the air above his hand.  "That enough proof for you."

            "Gotta do better than that.  We got kids here that can turn into ice," Logan said as Hank came into the room.

            "I believe he is telling the truth, I listened in over the intercom.  The sample of wood from the chamber is over a million years old by carbon dating," McCoy explained as he produced a brittle piece of wood.  "I am eager to examine that suspended animation chamber, if it is okay with you," he asked Valentine.

            "Go ahead, I do not think I will need it again," Vincent said.  "The man who contacted you about me, only one man knew I was there, must have been Starmore, which cannot mean anything good for this world.  He has been killing things across dimensions for the last million years in his pursuit of his enemies."

            They all looked out the window as some headlights pulled up the driveway.  "You are welcome to stay here as long as you wish.  Come, let us introduce you to the students," Xavier said as Hank wheeled him from the room.  

            Vincent quickly pulled his cape on and gathered his guns.  "You be careful around these kids.  I don't want you turning into that demon and hurting them," Logan threatened him.

            "I can handle it," Vincent said as he followed Logan out the front of the mansion.  He walked to the bottom of the stairs and watched as a trio of cars pulled up.  Over a dozen people exited the cars and stood opposite him with Xavier, Logan, and Hank in the middle.

            "This is Vincent Valentine.  He will be staying with us for a bit.  Vincent, please explain what you do, unless it bothers you," Xavier nodded at him.

            "I am an expert marksman, can use all forms of materia….magic, and can transform into one of four demons," he said without hesitation.

            The newcomers stayed silent.  "Now, all of you, same deal," Xavier ordered.

            "I am Ororo Munroe.  Also called Storm due to my power to control the weather," said the first.  She was a tall black woman with white hair, the only other adult in the group.

            "I'm Scott Summers, Cyclops.  I generate optic blasts from my eyes," said another one.  He was a boy in his mid teens and carried himself as the leader of the group.

            "Jean Grey, I have mild telekinetic powers," said a redhead girl of about the same age.

            "Bobby Drake," said another youth who suddenly turned into ice.  "Iceman for obvious reasons," he bragged before returning to normal.

            "Jamie Madrox," said several identical boys about 12 years old at once.  They turned and ran at each other, merging into one boy.  "If I get hit I split up," he shrugged.

            "Pietro Maximoff," said a silver haired boy.  "Quicksilver," he explained as he demonstrated his super-speed.

            "Rogue.  I drain power if I touch you," said a girl with a white stripe of hair among other brown hair.

            "Kurt Wagner," a young man introduced himself.  He then disappeared in a burst of brimstone and reappeared behind Vincent.  "I can teleport, among other things," he laughed as he turned off his image inducer, revealing his normal blue image.

            "Evan Daniels, Spyke," said a young black man who appeared to be a relative of Storm.  He waved his hand a several spikes of dirt rose out of the ground.      

            "Sam Guthrie, Cannonball.  I can fly around with an indestructible force-field," explained the last of them with a southern accent.

            "Pardon my lack of proper introduction earlier, but I am Dr. Henry McCoy, the Beast," said the blue furred man.

            "Kids, inside now.  It's getting late," Logan said as the kids moaned and walked into the mansion.  Logan and Vincent waited until the adults were inside as well.

            "Yes?" Vincent said, sensing Logan was waiting for a chance to speak.

            "The name's Logan.  It's my job to take care of these kids," he explained as he unsheathed his claws.  "You keep that demon under control, next time it won't catch me by surprise," Logan said as he retracted his claws.

            "You're awfully confident of your abilities," Vincent noted as they walked inside.

            "Never met my match yet.  No reason not to be confident," Logan said as he locked the door once they had entered.  McCoy and Xavier were waiting as the duo walked up to them in a tense silence.

            "If it suits you Vincent, I know a doctor in New York who specializes in demons and the supernatural.  You could go see him tomorrow, he should be able to help you with your condition," Xavier explained.

            "I'd like that," Vincent agreed.

            "Excellent, I would like you to demonstrate your 'materia' as well and explain your history to another friend in the city as well.  He'll find it interesting," Xavier chuckled.

            "Chuck, how's he gonna know where to go in New York?" Logan asked, not wanting to hear the answer.

            "You can take him Logan," Xavier smiled.  "You two can go see Strange and Richards tomorrow," he said as Logan stormed off and McCoy showed Vincent to a guest room.


	48. Canto 6 : Galactus : Verse 3 : Dr Strang...

**_The Song of Eternity_**

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**_Canto 6 : Galactus_**

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**_Verse 3_**

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**_Dr. Strange_**

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**_In the great city,_**

**_He meets with the Strange one,_**

**_And is exercised._**__****

****

            Vincent followed Logan out of the jeep and looked up at the huge mansion with its strong metal fence.  Vincent walked up to the gate and pushed on it to find it locked.  "You sure this is the place Logan?" he asked.

            "Yeah, this is Strange's place," Logan nodded as he waited for something.  "He'd usually just use his power to zap us in, no one uses the door here," Logan explained.  He waited impatiently before shouting.  "Strange, hurry your ass up!"

            A second later a glowing ethereal face appeared in front of the two of them.  "I am sorry Logan, but your companion appears to be resistant to my magic.  If you can make it over the gate, the front door is unlocked," the face apologized before evaporating.

            "Interesting friends you people have," Vincent joked as he looked up at the ten foot fence topped by sharp metal spikes.

            "This coming from a million year old guy with demons in his head," Logan growled as he looked up as well.  "Here goes nothing," he said before grabbing the fence, climbing up, and flipping down to the ground below.  "Your turn Valentine," he said, wondering how Vincent would ascend the fence, hoping for a fall of some kind.

            Vincent smiled before looking at Logan.  "What you may have in skill, you lack in style," he said calmly as he crouched and leapt over the fence, landing behind Logan.

            "Not bad," Logan admitted before they continued on to the front door.  

            A man with grey streaked hair and a black mustache stood in the open doorframe looking at them with an amused expression on his face.  "Not very often you get shown up Logan," he laughed as Logan frowned.  "Good to see you again my friend," he laughed as he shook Logan's hand.  He then turned his attention to Vincent.  "Allow me to introduce myself, I am Doctor Stephen Strange, the Sorcerer Supreme of this world," he said as he ushered Vincent and Logan into the mansion.  "If anyone can help you with your unique problem, it is probably me," he explained as they entered a large hallway.  He motioned them into a small study and leaned on a large oak desk while Vincent and Logan sat down on a pair of chairs.  "So, how did you become possessed?  Charles didn't explain much over the phone.  He said something to the effect that you were possessed by a demon," Strange explained as he looked over Vincent and felt like there was something he should know about this man.

            "A million years ago, a scientist shot me, injected me with mako and alien genetic material, and gave me three demons.  Then I went to sleep for a long time," Vincent explained, leaving out the part about destroying the populous of the world.

            Strange scratched his chin and searched around in his pocket for a medallion.  "Make yourself at ease, I'm going to use the Eye of Agamotto here to transport our minds to a mystical plane and sort this out," he explained as he took a seat behind the desk.  Suddenly everything went dark and the three of them found themselves in a dark void, floating in the air, with nothing but mist as far as the eye could see.  "There now," Strange said in satisfaction as he held the glowing amulet in his hand.  He released the amulet and it floated to his forehead and transformed into a third glowing yellow eye.

            "What is this place?  The Lifestream?" Vincent said out loud as he looked around the void.

            "No this is just a small pocket dimension slightly off of our own.  When here, one's mind and thoughts can become reality.  So, all you have to do is open up your mind and let things happen," Strange explained.  "Logan, you have been here before, so you should be able to keep your mind under control.  I find it strange that the world has not changed since you arrived here Vincent.  When most arrive here for the first time, the void is thrown into turmoil," Strange mused.

            "It has changed," Vincent said as he looked around the area.  "There are things in the mist," he said as he pointed to several areas of dense mist.

            "Try to think back, show me what happened when you were given the demons," Strange instructed.  

            Immediately the scene shifted to the run down Shinra mansion.  Vincent, Strange, and Logan looked on at the events unfolding.  A younger Vincent was talking to a woman, they were arguing about something, but only Vincent knew the old language.  "She is Lucretia, we had an affair," Vincent explained as Lucretia vanished and a child appeared.  "Sephiroth, my son," Vincent narrated as the boy was taken away, crying, by a black haired scientist.  "Hojo," Vincent said with hatred as the scene shattered.  The scene reformed again, this time with Hojo and Vincent arguing in the basement.  Hojo reached for a gun as Vincent turned to leave and shot him in his left arm.  He then took aim and shot Vincent near his heart.  

            The past Vincent lay there on the floor, writhing in pain as Hojo had some SOLDIERs put Vincent on an experimentation table.  Vincent looked away as Strange and Logan watched Hojo mutilate his arm and graft the claw on.  Vincent's past self passed out and Hojo approached him with two vials.  One was full of a glowing green liquid, the other was full of a dark red liquid.  Hojo gleefully injected both into Vincent and watched as he awoke again and screamed in pain.  Finally Hojo took a strange machine with what Vincent recognized as summon materia in it and turned it on Vincent.  It covered him in a red glow and he changed into the Galian Beast, Death Gigas, Hellmasker, and back to Vincent.  Hojo then had SOLDIERs take his struggling body and throw it into a coffin and lock it in the basement.

            "Amazing, where did this happen you say?"  Strange asked as the scene shifted back to the mist filled void.

            "This planet, a million years ago," Vincent explained.  Vincent looked to the mist as the forms of his three weaker demons emerged.  "Stay there," he commanded, learning long ago how to control the mindless ones.

            Strange turned his Eye of Agamotto at the demons, bathing them in yellow light.  "I see, your minds are not totally integrated.  It is like you summon them from another world and they emerge from your body here, then disappear when not needed," Strange speculated.  "But since you lived so long, they no longer exist in other worlds, only in your mind.  You can make them leave yourself," Strange said as Vincent floated over to the demons.  Vincent closed his eyes and the demons disappeared.  "There, no more demons, that was easy enough," Strange laughed.

            "Valentine, what about the other one?" Logan asked, meaning Chaos.

            "Another demon?  Where did it come from, if not from the scientist?" Strange asked.  

            Vincent sighed as the scene brightened a little, revealing a cave with a waterfall outside.  He was kneeling in front of the glowing ghostly form of Lucretia.  She held out two items for him, a gun and a vial.  "I came to this place where her ghost had appeared, unable to die due to Jenova cells.  It was right before we went to kill Sephiroth.  I thought we were too weak to succeed.  She gave me the gun, Death Penalty, that got stronger with each thing it killed.  And she told me what was in the vial, the essence of the demon Chaos," Vincent explained before he gestured for Strange and Logan to watch.

            His past self took the vial and stared into it for a second.  He then popped the top off and poured it down his throat.  He immediately doubled over in pain and began to scream as his body changed into that of Chaos.  Vincent waved his hand and the entire scene, except for Chaos disappeared.  "What do you want?" Vincent asked the demon.

            "You have done away with the weak ones, now you wish to do away with me," the demon stated.  "It will not work, I will have this body some day soon Valentine," the demon threatened before disappearing into the mist.

            "He is correct.  You willingly bonded your genetic material with that of the demon.  Maybe if I had got to you earlier, but after a million years, there is no chance to remove the demon," Strange admitted.  "Let us return to our bodies, we've done all we can," he said as a yellow glow spread out from the Eye of Agamotto.

            "Wait," Vincent said sharply.  The glow faded away and Vincent turned around to the being he felt appear.  "Aeris," he said as he recognized the flower girl in the pink dress.  "I am not doing this, what is going on?"

            "Oh, this is what is left of the Lifestream, I was just waiting to see you again before I moved on," the flower girl explained.  

            "A being in the void," Strange muttered in disbelief.

            "I never lied to you before Vincent, you will be free of Chaos some day soon," she smiled before she faded away and the others opened their eyes back in the study.

            "Who was that?" Logan asked as he got up and stretched.

            "Aeris, a friend from a long time ago," Vincent explained.

            Strange got up and retrieved a book from a shelf and paged through it until he marked a page.  "Something's been nagging at the back of my mind since I saw you Vincent.  After seeing Chaos, I believe I have found what I was looking for.  This is a book that I found frozen in a glacier in Tibet in my earlier years.  It tells an interesting story about the end of one world and the start of another," Strange said as he slid a book to Vincent and Logan.

            In the book, written in an unknown language were words under a picture.  The picture was one of Chaos, Vincent, and a being of darkness killing people.  "Half a million years ago the population of the world was infected with Jenova and Garland, a being who existed as a nanovirus.  We killed all those infected before they would have killed us," Vincent explained before closing the book and sliding it back.  

            "Well, enough of this fun, let's get out of here Valentine," Logan said, sensing Strange's discomfort.  

            As they left the room, headed to the exit, Strange spoke to them.  "I leave him in your hands Logan.  Make sure I do not have to handle this myself," Strange threatened.


	49. Canto 6 : Galactus : Verse 4 : Fantastic

**_The Song of Eternity_**

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**_Canto 6 : Galactus_**

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**_Verse 4_**

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**_Fantastic_**

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**_A chance encounter,_**

**_Nearly ends in tragedy._**

**_More questions are raised about the past,_**

**_And an omen of Doom appears._**

****

            "What was that about?" Vincent asked after he and Logan had landed on the sidewalk outside Strange's mansion.

            "What was what about?" Logan countered as he led the way down the street.

            "At the end, he said for you to make sure he did not have to handle something himself," Vincent said as Logan lit up a cigarette and kept walking.

            "Me and Strange go way back.  We were in a group with a couple other guys in the city, called ourselves the Defenders, so I have a pretty good understanding of what the Doc meant," Logan explained as they kept walking and he breathed out a puff of smoke.  "Same thing that me and Chuck are worried about actually.  You and Starmore killed off most of the planet, or so you say.  Let's just say that we all want to keep a close eye on you," Logan continued.

            "I had no choice, I did my best to make it quick for them," Vincent said as they kept walking.  "I did not agree with what we were doing until much late, but I still did not like it.  I eased their suffering, they were under the control of evil beings.  There is no telling what he would have done on his own either," Vincent added.

            "What are you talking about, what he would have done on his own?" Logan asked as they continued walking.

            "Starmore.  He had been wandering the multiverse for half a million years before that.  He was distraught when he left the first time, before my first long sleep," Vincent continued as they kept walking.  "When we were purging the cities, I realized that he was mad, possessed by the sole thought of killing all of those that Garland controlled with no regard to anyone or anything else.  I tried to make it quick, I cannot stop him, he is too powerful," Vincent finished as they walked.            

            "If it's any consolation, I'm starting to trust you," Logan said as they stopped at an intersection.  They waited for the light to change, but both turned as they heard something behind them.  

            A woman screamed as a man in a ski mask ran off with her purse.  "Help!  Police!"  she screamed.

            Logan and Vincent ran in the direction of the thief, leaving the woman behind.  They slowed down when the thief disappeared from the street down an alley.  Vincent stopped Logan at the alley's entrance.  "I'll handle this, go see to the woman," Vincent ordered as Logan grumbled, but walked back to where the woman was, sure that Vincent could handle himself.

            Vincent walked down the alley, his eyes quickly becoming accustomed to the darkness.  He frowned as he saw the thief near the top of a fire escape, heading to the rooftops.  Vincent got a running start and scaled the brick wall, leaving holes where his claw and boots had cut into the building on his way up.  He straightened up as he landed on the rooftop and saw the thief walking away a few feet in front of him.  "You people never change," he said as the thief turned around in surprise.

            "Who the hell are you?" the thief asked before he drew a knife.

            "It is none of your concern," Vincent said as he laughed at the small weapon.  "Praying on those weaker than you.  Your kind disgust me," Vincent said as the man tried to edge away from him.  "Don't even think about it," Vincent threatened as he moved his coat away to reveal one of his guns.  He pulled out his Death Penalty and pointed it at the man.  "Time to give that back to it's rightful owner," Vincent said before something hit his gun, knocking it from his hand.

            "As much as I like citizens lending a helping hand, guns are not the answer," came a voice from behind Vincent.  

            Vincent turned to see a man dressed in red and blue, with what looked like a spider web design all over his costume.  "Do all people here dress so strange?" he asked as he faced the newcomer.  The thief took the opportunity to try to sneak away, but found himself covered in web with another gun pointed at him immediately.  Vincent held his Quicksilver with his left hand pointed at the thief behind his back and his Outsider pointed at the man in red and blue.

            "Just the weird ones," Spiderman replied.  "Take it easy there, I'm a friend," Spiderman said as Vincent frowned but took the time to look back to the thief who was pinned to the ground by web.

            "What are you supposed to be?  A guy who shoots goo at people?" Vincent asked as he holstered his guns and retrieved his Death Penalty.

            "Just your friendly neighborhood Spiderman," Spiderman explained as he walked over and picked the thief up and carried him over his shoulder as if it was nothing. 

            "A mutant like Logan and the others?" Vincent asked as they walked in the general direction of where the woman was mugged.

            "Something like that, radioactive spider-bite actually," Spiderman joked.  "What about you?  I was following you and Logan out of curiosity, never seen you before though," Spiderman asked as he leapt to the next building.  

            Vincent crouched and easily leapt the ten foot gap to land beside Spiderman.  "Went to sleep for a million years and woke up in their backyard," Vincent shrugged as they both looked over the edge of the building at Logan talking to woman.  "Better get down there, he doesn't strike me as a people person," Vincent said as they both jumped down to the sidewalk.

            "Here you go ma'am," Spiderman said as he grabbed the purse from the thief's unwebbed hands.  

            The woman walked away as the three of them heard sirens closing in.  "What the hell have you been doing?  Following us?" Logan asked Spiderman who just shrugged.

            "Seemed like the thing to do," Spiderman joked.  "You two better get going, I'll handle the cops here," he said as they heard the sirens a couple blocks away.  "Police still don't take too kindly to mutant outlaws, Logan.  By the way, what's your name?" he directed the question at Vincent.

            "Vincent Valentine," he replied as he shook hands with Spiderman.  

            "Spiderman.  You better get out of here," he said as Logan and Vincent headed in the opposite direction of the sirens quickly.  After they were safely away from the action Vincent commented on the situation.  "This is a strange place, so many people have superhuman powers," he said as they walked further downtown towards a tall skyscraper.

            "Get used to it bub," Logan laughed.  "You ain't seen nothing yet, just try to keep the gun holstered," he added.  After walking through the crowded streets for a bit, Logan pointed up at the enormous building in front of them.  "Four Freedoms Plaza, this is our stop."

            They walked into the building stopped at a security guard manning a metal detector.  They both walked through, making the machine beep loudly in the lobby.  "You two got any metal on you?" the guard asked.

            "You could say that," Logan said as he unsheathed a claw and Vincent revealed his left arm.  "Just tell Reed that Logan is here," he ordered.

            The guard walked over to a phone by the elevator, picked it up, and began talking.  He hung it up after a minute and came back over.  "Sorry about that, it's all part of the job," he apologized.  "He's up on 34 right now.  He said to meet him there," the guard said before going back to his position.  

            Logan and Vincent walked into the elevator and pushed the button for the 34th floor.  As the elevator went up, Logan talked to Vincent.  "Try not to be surprised from what you see here.  Remember what I said, he's made of elastic, his brother in law is a matchstick, and Grimm's made of rock," Logan warned as the elevator stopped and they both got out onto the 34th floor of Four Freedoms Plaza.

            They looked around the deserted hallway for a minute before Vincent spoke.  "I think I can control my shock, where is everyone?"

            "Shaddup," Logan said as he sniffed the air and listened for signs of life.  Suddenly they heard a huge crash and felt the building shake.  "It came from this way," Logan said as they both took off down the hallway and were promptly buried as the wall exploded and rubble flew in their direction.

            "What a revoltin' development this is," came a voice as a piece of rubble that was actually none other than Benjamin Grimm, the Thing, rose from the rubble rubbed his head.  He looked back into the room where eh just came from wondering what hit him.  He saw Sue, Reed, and Johnny getting to their feet and a familiar silver being lying in the center of the ruined lab.  "Reed, why's the Silver Surfer lying in your lab," he muttered as he walked over and helped the Silver Surfer to his feet.

            "That would be my fault," came another voice as a being of fire floated through the hole in the wall.  "He directed his fall to land here.  I will kill him now.  Step away," the being ordered.

            "I don't think so, he's a friend of ours," Sue said as she erected an invisible force field between the Surfer and his attacker.  "Who are you?  Why are you attacking the Silver Surfer?" Sue asked the being who looked at her in annoyance.  

            "I am Firelord, herald of Galactus.  The Silver Surfer has attacked the master and must be destroyed," Firelord explained.

            "He is going to break his word," the Surfer muttered as the Thing held him up.  "Galactus is coming to destroy us all," he explained as he gained his feet.

            "You are not worthy to question the master!" Firelord shouted as he unleashed a blast of fire at the heroes.  Sue erected an invisible force sphere around Firelord, keeping his flames from damaging the building.  "You think you can stop me?  I am empowered by the power cosmic!" Firelord shouted.

            "Of course they think they can stop you, they have always been fools," came a new voice as a figure appeared in a cube of golden light.  "But with the help of Victor Von Doom, maybe we can stop this from happening," Doom's voice came from within his suit of armor.

            "Doom?  What're you doin' here?" the Thing asked nervously as he found himself between Doom and Firelord.

            "He is using his time cube, which means some of us die here and are unable to aid in the battle against Galactus, which me lost in the future," Reed guessed.

            "Correct Richards, now we must deal with this creature," he said as he prepared to attack the herald.

            "Anyone get the name of the bus that hit me?" came a voice from the rubble behind the six preparing for battle.  Logan dug his way out of the rubble, claws bared and all, quickly surveying the situation.  He then looked down to where he could see a bit of Vincent and his eyes opened wide in surprise.  He quickly walked over to the others and said, "get ready, he's on our side, I guess."  

            "What is the X-Man doing here?  I have done nothing to make him appear here, I have changed no history," Doom said strangely.

            Suddenly the rubble moved and Chaos appeared, looking ready to kill anything.  It glanced over at Logan and growled.  "Valentine, go after the fire guy!" Logan shouted, causing Chaos to look at Firelord.

            "This is impossible….," Doom whispered.

            "What is this?  A monster of some kind?  It is nothing compared to me," Firelord boasted before Chaos dove at him and knocked them both from the building.  Chaos roared as flames enveloped them both, causing him to let go and circle the herald in the sky.  "Feel the power of Firelord, beast!"  Firelord screamed as he created intense flames around Chaos.

            "I am hell-spawn, fool," Chaos laughed as he flew at the herald, striking it with his claws.

            Firelord clutched his wound in pain and looked back to the demon in anger.  "Then feel the power cosmic!" he shouted as a blast of energy leapt from his hand, impacting Chaos, sending him crashing through the window of another skyscraper.  "Fool, you are nothing compared to me," he taunted as he turned to go take care of the others.  He floated up into the air above the hole in Four Freedoms Plaza and prepared to attack.

            "Never turn your back on an enemy," Chaos said as he tackled Firelord, forcing both of them to crash toward the rubble below.  Chaos was pulled away from Firelord by the Thing, even as he transformed back into Vincent.  Vincent got to his feet, unharmed and looked at Logan and the others.  "Is it dead yet?"

            "I will not fall to you pitiful creatures," Firelord responded as he slowly got to his feet.

            "Pardon us then, we'll get to work on it," the Thing said as he swung at the herald, knocking him back into the wall.  "A little help guys," he called as he felt the flames burning his rock-like skin.  

            Vincent concentrated and cast ice on the herald as Logan, Doom, and the others joined the battle.  The herald seemed dazed as he was pummeled from all directions by invisible force fields, adamantium claws, energy blasts, and rocky fists.  Firelord managed a small cosmic blast which was negated by Doom.  "What is happening!" he roared as he failed to create any fire around his body.

            Vincent was sweating.  It was taking a lot of effort to keep the herald cold enough to prevent him from creating his flames.  He had already created enough cold to kill most normal men and was fatiguing.  "I can't keep him cold for much longer!" Vincent shouted as the others stepped up their efforts.  As the last of his MP ran out, he quickly switched the materia in his gun so that he had Ice and Elemental linked.  "Stand back," he shouted too late as Firelord, beaten and bloody, sent out a heat wave forcing the attackers back.  

            "You will pay for this!' Firelord shouted at Vincent.

            "You are nothing," Vincent replied coldly as he raised his Death Penalty and started shooting.  The bullets, imbued with the ice power, tore into the exhausted herald's flesh, spraying blood all over the ground.

            "I…I…," the herald muttered as he stumbled backwards.

            "You are finished here," Vincent said as he fired one last bullet into the herald's skull.  Vincent holstered his gun and went to check on Logan and the others who were getting to their feet.  "Who was that?"

            "Dunno, mind filling us in Reed," Logan groaned as he got to his feet.

            "Firelord, herald of Galactus," Reed explained.

            "But the important question is, who are you?" Doom asked as he stared at Vincent.  "I did nothing to change the past to bring you here, and I have never seen you before.  You should not be here," Doom explained.


	50. Canto 6 : Galactus : Verse 5 : The Comin...

**_The Song of Eternity_**

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**_Canto 6 : Galactus_**

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**_Verse 5_**

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**_The Coming of Galactus_**

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**_The herald of doom has gone,_**

**_But the destruction incarnate is coming._**

**_Doom analyzes the unknown,_**

**_And Vincent moves on._**

****

            In a lab on another floor, Vincent, Logan, Doom, the Silver Surfer, and the Fantastic Four were dressing their wounds.  The Silver Surfer worked busily to help the Fantastic Four, while the others tended to their own wounds.  Logan stood at the door, keeping watch for any newcomers, smoking a cigar as his healing factor kicked in.  Doom stood silently watching the others.  Vincent pulled out a master magic materia and bathed himself in green light, healing his wounds.  

            As he put his materia away, he noticed Reed and Doom glancing at the orbs quizzically.  Finally, the Surfer finished healing their wounds with his power cosmic and they moved to a larger meeting room with a huge computer array covering one wall.  "Who wants to start?" the Thing asked the four unexpected guests.

            "We should start with them," Doom indicated Logan and Vincent.  "I may be able to understand my story better after hearing his," Doom explained.

            "Go ahead Valentine," Logan said as he leaned back in a chair and smoked his cigar.     

            "My name is Vincent Valentine.  A million years ago, I helped save this world from an alien, Jenova who had possessed my son.  Sephiroth, my son, was reborn 5 years later and I stopped him with the help of my allies, only one who may still be alive today.  Then I went to sleep for half a million years until Starmore awoke me.  Most of this world was being controlled by Jenova, who was controlled by Starmore's enemy, Garland.  We killed everyone infected.  I went to sleep for another half a million years until Xavier and Logan woke me up after receiving a call from someone who must have been Starmore, telling them where I was," he explained.

            "I came here because Xavier said Richards might know something important to tell me," he finished.

            "Interesting, I knew I recognized that thing you turned into," Richards said.  "Tell me what it was while I check something out," he said as he turned to the computer and began pressing buttons like mad.

            "That was Chaos.  A demon bonded to my genetic structure.  There were three other demons as well up until earlier today," he explained.

            "Then you voluntarily became the host of this 'Chaos'," Doom stated.

            "Yes.  To stop my son I hosted the demon," Vincent said.  "I don't regret a bit of what I did.  How do you know so much about demons?" he asked Doom.

            "I dabble in the arts," Doom explained.

            "Here we go," Richards said as a picture came up on the screen.  It looked like a cave drawing of Chaos attacking a city.  "An ancient Atlantean legend of a demon purging most of the world," he explained.  "Then of a greater evil, destroying and scattering the people of Atlantis itself," he said as he hit a button and a sketch of a being of pure darkness appeared.

            "That's Starmore," Vincent nodded.

            "Very strange," Reed mused.  "Silver Surfer, please go over what is going on with Galactus," Reed commanded after a minute.

            "I was patrolling space when I encountered Firelord," he explained.  "I went to speak with Galactus, but he ignored me and continued on his path.  When I tried to get his attention, he and Firelord attacked me.  I barely escaped," the Surfer finished.

            "In the future I came from, Reed and Storm," he gestured at Johnny," were killed by Firelord in this initial attack.  Afterwards, when Galactus attacked, Sue and Grimm attacked him with the help of the Surfer and the Avengers.  They failed.  I escaped with my time cube to try to save this world," Doom explained.  "But, these two were not in the city for the battle," he gestured at Logan and Vincent.  "This has never happened before, the only things that ever change when I use the machine are things I try to change.  I believe it may have something to do with this Starmore of yours.  Is he a temporal anomaly by chance?"

            "He's never traveled through time, he says it is impossible.  He has been as close to death that one can be three times though.  His body was completely destroyed once," Vincent explained.  "He says it has something to do with his Starlight power," Vincent continued.

            "Hmmm, maybe a form of the power cosmic," Reed theorized.

            "The dying might explain the shift in the time stream," Doom muttered.

            They both mumbled for a bit before Sue broke in.  "Science guys, back to Earth here, get on with the plan," she yelled.  

            "Sorry honey," Reed apologized.

            "Galactus will be here in three days, I will return once I am prepared," Doom said as he teleported out of the room.

            "I'll get in touch with the Avengers and Xavier.  Ben, Johnny, Vincent, and Logan, go see who you can find out there in the city.  If we lost last time, I want to be prepared this time," Reed ordered.

            "Gotcha stretcho," the Thing responded.  "Let's get going boys," he said as they got up and left Reed, Sue, and the Surfer to contact the others.  After they exited the bottom of the elevator they stopped and talked to the very nervous security guard.  Logan and Vincent waited outside while Ben and Johnny explained things.

            "How ya holdin' up?" Logan asked as he puffed on his cigar.     

            "Good enough, who is this Galactus," Vincent asked.

            "Big guy, probably older than you are.  He has to devour worlds to stay alive, but he promised not to come back here a while ago," Ben explained.  "He's bad news," he said as they stood out in the sunshine.  "Who should we look for first?"

            "Let's head to a bar, I can make some phone calls, save us the trouble of walking around," Logan suggested.  

            "That's what I call a plan," Johnny laughed as they walked  a couple blocks, drawing stares and eventually stopping at a bar called Murphy's.  "Pretty empty In here," he muttered as they entered the nearly deserted bar.  There was a couple in a booth and a bartender behind the counter, but empty besides that.

            "What can I get you…," the bartender stopped as he recognized half of the Fantastic Four in his bar.  "Try to keep the property damage down this time," he said disheartened.

            "We ain't gonna bust anything up, just gimme your phone for a bit," Logan said as the bartender nodded and handed it over.  Logan went to the end of the bar and started dialing numbers.

            "What about you three?"

            "Beers for me and matchstick," the Thing said.  "What about you Valentine?"

            "The names of drinks are different now, I do not know what the common names of liquors are anymore," Vincent explained.  "Just bring me a bottle of something moderately strong," he said, causing Ben and Johnny to look at him strangely.  "I get drunk very slowly, most of it goes to the demon and keeps him incapacitated," he explained.

            "Works for me," the Thing shrugged.  

            They sat watching a television over the bar for a bit before talking a bit more.  "So what's the deal with you?  You got that claw and you used some kinda magic on Firelord, mind explaining?"  Johnny asked.

            "No problem.  The 'magic' is caused by materia, the crystallized essence of the planet, which apparently does not exist anymore in this era.  It allows me to control a vast amount of 'magical' power, but was common science in my day," Vincent explained as he showed them the orbs of materia.  "As for my claw," he took a long drink from the bottle," it was a gift from an enemy.  Lucretia was the mother of Sephiroth.  We were in love, but she married Hojo.  When she had my child, she died and Hojo discovered it was not his child.  He shot me, mutilated my arm, forced three demons into my body and locked me in a basement for thirty years," Vincent explained.  "And you?"

            "Not as interesting as you story, but fine," Ben whistled.  "Went up in space a bit back and got hit by cosmic rays, when we landed we were like this," he shrugged.

            Logan hung up the phone and came back over.  "Got in touch with Blaze, Strange, and Daredevil.  They'll get in touch with the rest of their people and meet us over at Four Freedoms tomorrow," he explained as the bartender brought him a beer.  "Any more ideas?"

            "Try to raise a ruckus and see if anyone notices?" Ben joked as the bartender's face went white.

            "Or just let them do all the work," Vincent commented as he pointed at the TV.

            The bartender turned it up as the newscaster continued speaking.  "…and Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four along with Captain America and the Avengers are asking all super-powered beings in the New York area to come to Four Freedoms Plaza tomorrow to discuss an event of dire emergency.  It is unknown what this has to do with the explosions at Four Freedoms today, more news as it develops," the announcer finished as it went to commercial.

            "Hmmm, looks like we don't have anything else to do here," Logan laughed.  "Mind if we crash at your place tonight?  No point in driving out of the city if Chuck and the kids are gonna come here tomorrow," he suggested.

            "No, problem.  Might as well stay here for a bit longer though, Reed won't miss us, he's probably working on some invention to stop Galactus already," Ben laughed.  

            Vincent watched out of the corner of his eye as the redhead at the table got up and went to the restroom.  He quickly got out of his seat and walked over to man sitting there.  "You will be there tomorrow?" he asked.  The man nodded in response and Vincent walked back over to the others.

            "What was that about?  Trying to scare the locals?" Johnny asked.

            "Nope, he was just makin' sure the kid heard," Logan laughed as he recognized the scent.  "How'd you figure that one out Valentine?"

            "His voice, it was the same," Vincent explained.  

            "Mind filling us in?" Johnny asked as he looked at the man, not recognizing him.

            "Just someone I met earlier," Vincent explained as he sipped his bottle.

            The woman came back and they left together.  Vincent and Logan could here him say," MJ, it's gonna be a long couple days."

            An hour and half and a lot of beers later, the four of them walked out into the setting sun, back towards Four Freedoms Plaza.  Halfway back Vincent stopped and pulled his gun out, pointing at a spot of empty space in front of a brick wall.  

            "What're ya doin' Valentine?  Tryin' to get arrested?" Grimm shouted.

            Logan sniffed the air, smelling nothing but death suddenly.  "Nope, he's found something," Logan growled as he unsheathed his claws.

            "I can feel it too," Johnny said as he turned to flames and sensed the area in the air of different temperature.

            "Come out now," Vincent ordered.  The air shimmered and took the shape of a man, but looking black as night all over.  "Why are you here, what is going on?" Vincent asked.

            "Saving your life," the reply came.  "Prepare for the coming days, I will strike when the time is right," the voice finished before the man disappeared.

            "Who was that?" Ben asked.

            "Travis Starmore."


	51. Canto 6 : Galactus : Verse 6 : Agememnon

**_The Song of Eternity_**

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**_Canto 6 : Galactus_**

****

**_Verse 6_**

****

**_Agememnon_**

****

**_His past is wiped,_**

**_The dark one approaches closer,_**

**_The one who embraces darkness speaks with light._**

****

            Vincent rolled over and shut off the alarm clock.  He blinked his eyes, reading the clock.  "8 AM," he muttered as he got up and headed to the bathroom to shower.  He was staying in one of the guest rooms at Four Freedoms Plaza waiting the arrival of all the others later today.  After he finished showering he pulled on his clothes and felt something missing.  "What the…?" he whispered as he felt his gear and realized his guns and materia were missing.

            He irritably made his way to Reed's lab to find the scientist hard at work on some obscure machine.  Reed looked up when Vincent entered the room.  "Sleep well?" he asked as Vincent slammed his metal hand down on the table.  "Something the matter?"

            "I've been robbed." Vincent said through clenched teeth.  "My guns and materia are gone," Vincent explained.

            Reed's face lit up in a surprised expression.  "Hmmmm, this isn't good.  Follow me," he ordered as he wheeled his chair over to a computer.  "Let's see…here we go, security footage," Richards said as he hit a button and a video of Vincent sleeping began to play.  "The problem is, if something entered the room, the security system would have alerted us," Reed explained as they both looked at the tape in fast forward.

            "Go back," Vincent said suddenly.  Reed rewound the footage until Vincent spoke again.  "Play it at normal speed."

            As the tape played a shadow in the corner of the room grew solid and moved to Vincent's things.  It removed his weapons and materia and turned to the camera.  "Who is that?" Reed asked as Vincent drew in a sharp breath.

            "Travis Starmore," Vincent explained as he recognized the nearly featureless face of darkness.  "He's saying something, can you turn up the audio?" Vincent asked as Reed tapped a few keys.

            "I will return in about half a day," the voice came over the computer's speakers.  The figure then faded away and disappeared.

            "Amazing, he didn't trip the sensors, but showed up on the video.  Very strange," Reed mused.  

            "He doesn't obey normal laws of nature anymore," Vincent said.  "I've seen him force things to happen just by willing it.  He doesn't notice it though, or at least he didn't before.  He let us see him so we didn't panic," Vincent said angrily.

            "Amazing, I would love to see him someday," Reed said as he began to pull up energy readings from the building, finding nothing out of the ordinary.

            "No you don't.  Even I wish I never met him some of the time," Vincent said as he left to room to get some food.  Vincent was greeted by a sight that left him speechless in the kitchen.  

            "What's the matter?  Never seen a guy in an apron before?" the Thing asked with a pink apron around his waist.  He turned back to he stove and kept cooking.  "How do you like your eggs?"

            "Uhhh, scrambled," Vincent shrugged as he poured himself a cup of coffee and sat down.  

Logan walked in, poured himself some coffee and sat down, sipping the drink.  "Grimm, what the hell are you wearing?" Logan said as he finally noticed the apron on his friend.

"You got a problem with my apron?" Ben joked as he turned around revealing his 'Kiss the Cook' apron.  "This thing is classy," he said as he cooked the food.

"Tryin' to scare the houseguests Ben," Johnny joked as he sat down at the table.  "You guys sleep well?"

"More or less," Vincent said as he explained about Starmore coming in the night.

"Damn, that's weird.  Why do you think he did that?" Logan asked as Ben handed out eggs and bacon.

"I don't know.  He usually has a reason for things, but there's no telling what he thinks anymore," Vincent admitted.  "He's been out there a million years and from what he told me, I was the only person he talked with for an extended period of time."

"So you think he might be nuts," Ben said as they all dug into their food.

A few hours later, around noon all of those who had arrived gathered in a large meeting room.  Vincent and Logan had talked with Xavier and the others over the phone earlier, they would arrive later in the day.  Spiderman had arrived with another man in a red suit, whom Vincent learned was called Daredevil.  Dr. Strange had shown up half an hour earlier with three normal enough looking men on motorcycles.  The Silver Surfer was still there and Doom had reappeared as well.  Captain America and Thor were there for the Avengers to get the gist of the situation.

Vincent and everyone else sat around a large table or stood up against a wall if they were too big for chairs.  Reed made his way to the front of the room and started the meeting.  "Thank you all for coming.  We are here to discuss a dire threat to the planet that will arrive in two more days, Galactus," he explained as he pressed a button and a projection of the devourer of worlds appeared on the wall.

"The reasons for his return are unknown, but he has apparently rescinded on his vow to never return to Earth.  Doom will now fill you in a little more," he said as he sat down and Doom walked to the front.

"I recently used my time cube to return to yesterday from two days from now.  Galactus attacked and killed all of you.  I barely escaped before the planet was destroyed.  When I got here, I changed the future by preventing the deaths of Reed and Mr. Storm," Doom explained.  "It may have been unnecessary due to the arrival of Valentine and Wolverine, since through some sort of temporal anomaly, they found themselves here in this timeline, when they were not here in the original chain of events," Doom finished.

"We theorized that it may be due to the interaction of Travis Starmore with the events of this universe," Reed explained.  He pressed a button, showing a still of Starmore on the wall from when he was in Vincent's room.  "He is a being of immense power that may be a sort of temporal/dimensional anomaly due to his unnaturally long life and incredible power.  It does not matter much, we have been unable to contact him at will or for an extended period of time, so we are unsure of his willingness to involve himself in this battle," Reed finished and motioned for Vincent to continue.        

Vincent uneasily stood and took his place at the front of the group.  "Travis Starmore is over a million years old.  He has been on a mission to destroy the minions of those who killed his family for all of that time.  The only problem is he has had to scour the multiverse to do it.  He is more powerful than you can imagine.  He has destroyed entire planets before and would not hesitate to do it again if his enemies were on it.  He appears to be on our side this time," Vincent finished.

"How canst thou be so sure?" Thor asked.

"Because I owe him a debt of gratitude," came a disembodied voice.  People gathered in the room looked around wildly for the speaker until a figure of darkness appeared in the corner of the room.  "He aided me a long time ago," came the voice from Starmore's featureless body.

Doom and Strange recognized him immediately.  "He is…" Doom started.

"The void before reality began," Strange continued.

"The destroyer," Doom added.

Thor gazed at the man and felt fear.  He searched his mind for a reason for the fear and finally came across something Odin once told him.  "There are things older than even Asgard.  Beings more powerful than even I.  Ones cloaked in darkness, hunting each other throughout time, waiting the day they can end their search, when they are the only one left." 

The others all felt a sense of awe and uneasiness.  Except for Vincent, who turned and looked Starmore in the face.  "What do you want?  What is your plan in all of this?" he asked him coldly.

"My plan…?" Starmore responded confusedly.  "To repay my debt to you and to find the last WEAPON," he said after a minute.  "It is close.  Soon my journey will be over," he added.

"Why did you take my guns and materia?"

"To help you battle this Galactus.  This being not worthy to lick my boots," Starmore explained.  "Here," he said as he extended an arm, handing Vincent a pure white metal pistol.  "I made all of your past weapons into this.  Agememnon, the last barrier between this world and Armageddon."

Vincent took the gun and holstered it slowly as he felt the immense power in the gun.  "Starmore, are you okay?" Vincent asked as he realized something.  "Why do you look like that?"

"I have been like this for ages.  It makes me stronger," Starmore said without emotion.

"What does Fiona think about it?" Vincent asked.

"Fiona…  She is gone…  Has been for so long…  I can be with her once I kill Garland.  I can be happy again..," Starmore muttered.

"Do you even remember who she is or what she looks like?"

Starmore stood silent for a minute, then disappeared.  "What's wrong with him?" Logan asked.

"He… he has lost his mind," Vincent whispered.


	52. Canto 6 : Galactus : Verse 7 : Preparati...

**_The Song of Eternity_**

****

**_Canto 6 : Galactus_**

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**_Verse 7_**

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**_Preparation_**

****

**_The eve of destruction has come,_**

**_The plans are made,_**

**_Waiting is the hardest part._**

****

            Vincent stood at a makeshift firing range that had been put up on one of the floors of Four Freedoms Plaza.  He had not touched the gun since it was given to him yesterday.  Instead, he had spent his time researching the powers and abilities of those who would be joining him in the battle and waiting as Reed, Doom, a Native American in his early 20s called Forge, and a man in a suit of red and yellow metal tried to cobble together some energy draining devices to stop Galactus.

            He had left momentarily to help Logan as Xavier, Hank, Ororo and the kids arrived.  He helped them get their stuff moved into guest rooms, then went out on the town to clear his mind.  He borrowed some of the local currency from Logan and took a taxi to where Doom said Galactus would land, some place called Central Park.  It was a nice place, full of people.  Vincent was used to drawing stares, so he was surprised when few gave him a second glance.  He reminded himself to make sure Reed and the others evacuated this part of the city starting tomorrow.

            After he sat on a bench in the park for a bit, he walked the streets until he found himself at the bar he went to with Logan earlier.  He shrugged and entered, taking a seat at the bar.  "The usual?" the bartender asked.  Vincent nodded and accepted the bottle the bartender handed him.  He took a sip from the bottle and glanced around the establishment, looking for a familiar face.

            He spotted two of the men who came with Strange on motorcycles sitting in a booth with another man whose face he could not see.  He went over and took a seat as they made room.  They made some small talk for a while before the inevitable questions.  "So what do you do, shoot things?" the older of the two asked.

            "Among other things," Vincent said.  "I have a little magical skill, expert marksmanship, immortality, and transform into a demon," he explained.  "And you two?" he asked as he took a drink of the bottle.

            "Dan Ketch.  Possessed by a demon as well," the younger said.

            "John Blaze.  Used to be possessed by the same demon, we think.  Anyway, now I just got a hellfire shooting shotgun," he explained.  "Why didn't you ask about him?" he indicated the third man.

            "I know what he does, but he seems more secretive.  I did not know if you knew the secret," Vincent said.

            "They know about it, me being Spiderman and all.  We go way back.  Peter Parker," he introduced himself.

            They had made small talk, trying to keep their mind off of the coming battle, eventually leaving later in the night after several other heroes arrived and the bar was running out of alcohol.  At the firing range, Vincent pulled out his new gun, Agememnon, and studied it for the first time.  He turned it over in his hands, noticing how light it was.  "How did he make it white?" he muttered to himself as he looked over the flawless, almost pearl-like exterior.  

            He got another surprise when he popped out the magazine to see what kind of rounds it used.  "Amazing," he whispered as he clutched the magazine.  "He fused all the materia into this…," he stated as he looked over the multicolored crystal.  He slammed the magazine back into the gun and pointed it at the target he set up earlier.  He pulled the trigger and nothing happened.  Puzzled, he tried again, getting the same result.  "Stupid me," he scolded himself.  "It's materia, I have to use my mind."  He concentrated on a fire elemental blast and pulled the trigger, this time sending a burning red projectile of energy at the target, destroying it.  "He made them more powerful…," Vincent marveled as he got used to his new gun.

            Later that day Vincent caught up with Logan, Xavier and the kids.  When they sat down, he remembered some of the kids, but had never seen several others before.  He recognized Cyclops, Jean Grey, Madrox, Quicksilver, Rogue, Iceman, Nightcrawler, Spyke, and Cannonball as well as Hank and Ororo, but noticed a few new faces.  He was introduced to a pair of students, Jubilee and Shadowcat who were home for the weekend before Xavier introduced him to a new group.

            "This is the 'Brotherhood' as they call themselves," he gestured at half a dozen youths.  "Avalanche, Pyro, Boom-Boom, Blob, Gambit, and Havok.  They live in Bayville as well.  I volunteered their services for this event," Xavier explained chuckling at the angry youths.  "How has your time here been, besides the obvious," Xavier asked him.

            "Well enough.  This world is full of interesting people," Vincent laughed.  "Strange helped me take care of three of the demons, but Chaos remains.  I will live with him as I always have, until the day we die," Vincent explained.

            "Cheer up Vincent, as you said there are many interesting and powerful things on this world.  Maybe one day you will find the one that frees you," Ororo comforted him.

            "Maybe," Vincent whispered.  "Galactus will come tomorrow.  I must go prepare," he said farewell before he bowed and left the room. 


	53. Canto 6 : Galactus : Verse 8 : The Great...

**_The Song of Eternity_**

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**_Canto 6 : Galactus_**

****

**_Verse 8_**

****

**_The Great _****_Battle_****__**

****

**_The great destroyers clash,_**

**_None of them will ever be the same again,_**

**_As the final chapter in a life ends._****__**

****

            Vincent and the other gathered heroes stared up in the sky at the massive spacecraft floating over central park.  "Big, isn't it?" Spiderman joked quietly.  All of the gathered heroes were hiding in the trees, waiting for the signal to attack.

            Vincent ignored Spiderman as he listened intently to what was going on in his earpiece.  Reed had gone to speak to Galactus with the Silver Surfer.  "Great Galactus, why have you come back to Earth?" he heard Reed shouting at the giant.

            He didn't need the earpiece to hear Galactus's response as it boomed loudly over the park.  "Because I wish it," the deafening voice replied.

            "Will you reconsider, since you are breaking your word?" Vincent heard Reed plead.

            "No, I will have this world before the day is over.  Begone," Galactus said calmly.  The Surfer and Reed came back down and landed among the others.

            "He cannot be reasoned with, he may be mad from hunger," Reed explained.  "We have no choice, but to stop him," Reed finished as he nodded at Vincent and a few others.

            "Okay people, time to get his attention," Vincent ordered his team.  Cyclops, Iceman, Havok, Boom-Boom, Gambit, and Pyro stood ready beside him.  "Remember, after the initial attack, hang back, we don't want any of you kids getting hurt if we can help it," Vincent ordered.  "Okay, let it loose!" he shouted.  The kids let their respective powers loose, blasting Galactus's ship with all forms of energy attacks.  Some small pieces of metal began to chip and fall away, allowing Vincent to get a clear shot at the insides of the ship.  "Ultima Strike!" he shouted as he pointed the Agememnon at the hole in the ship and pulled the trigger, sending a burst of destructive energy at the ship and causing an explosion.

            The ship continued to shake from smaller explosions as it slowly lowered and came to a rest on the ground.  "I think we got his attention," Vincent said as he and the others looked on as the giant stepped into their view.

            "This is your last chance Galactus, leave Earth now, or we will be forced to stop you," Thor threatened before catching a blast from Galactus's eyes and being knocked to the ground.

            "Now everyone!" Captain America shouted as they all leapt into battle.  The front line of attackers, the Thing, the Hulk, Iron Man, Silver Surfer, Blob, Ghost Rider, Vengeance, and Logan, all were equipped with backpacks that had been designed to drain the energy from Galactus as they attacked him.  Galactus roared as the energy packs drained away most of his excess energy, forcing him to return to a smaller size of about ten feet tall before blasting his attackers and destroying the devices.

            "Pitiful mortals, you cannot stop me!" Galactus roared as he knocked the Hulk back with a backhand.  Strange and Xavier motioned the second wave forward next.  The rest of the X-Men, Avengers, Fantastic Four, moved forward to attack Galactus as Xavier, Strange, Jean Grey, the Invisible Woman, and Avalanche made it difficult for Galactus to move, in one way or another.  Galactus became buried in a pile of attacking bodies as Vincent tried to get a clear shot.  Suddenly Vincent ducked as Galactus unleashed another wave of energy, knocking all the attackers away and stunning them.  "I am Galactus!  You all will perish!"

            Vincent glanced around, frowning when the only ones still standing, not clumsily trying to get to their feet were the kids who helped him in the initial strike.  He quickly slid the magazine from his gun and held it high in the air.  "Regen, Haste, Wall-All!" he shouted as he took control of the magic and a soft green glow crept over all of the combatants.  He slid the magazine back in and rushed at Galactus, trying to buy some time for the others to get back up.  His shots rang out loudly, impacting with small blinding bursts of light where they hit Galactus.

            "You try to defy me!" Galactus yelled as he ran at Vincent, throwing his shoulder into the ex-Turk, sending him flying back twenty feet.  Galactus move to finish Vincent off, but was stopped as a green hand grabbed his head and hurled him away.

            Vincent thanked the Hulk, who helped him to his feet, then bounded back toward the titan to continue the battle.  Vincent noted that no one seemed to be hurt badly so far and turned to watch as Galactus was pounded by Hulk, the Thing, Wolverine, Thor, and others.  Galactus seemed to be holding his own against many of the strongest heroes of the planet until he unleashed a few well placed blasts of the power cosmic, bloodying his attackers.  For a moment Galactus stood silently as he was bombarded with energy blasts from all sides with his eyes closed.  When he opened them, he thrust his arms out, gathering all the energy that was being used on him in a cloud of energy before sending it out in a wave of destruction.  

            Vincent groaned and opened his eyes after being floored by the blast.  He looked around as he got up, nearly everyone was down and looking unconscious.  Here and there someone moved, but no one got up.  He watched as Galactus eyed him with curiosity.  "I know of you somehow," Galactus said.  "Vincent Valentine, the second strongest being in existence at one time.  The time has come to test your power against me," Galactus ordered.

            Vincent frowned, then rushed at Galactus, firing a dozen unerring shots at his head, then striking him square in the face with his claw.  Galactus did not move as a small line of blood formed on his face.  "You disappoint me," he taunted before grabbing Vincent by the shirt and pulling him off the ground.  "You are nothing to me," he added before tossing Vincent roughly to the ground.

            Vincent doubled over on the ground after Galactus threw him there, but not from pain.  _I will fix this Valentine.  "No!" Vincent screamed as his body began to transform.  _Let me go Valentine, or we will both die!  _"I will control this," Vincent said through gritted teeth as he halted the transformation, leaving his skin partially changed, a pair of wings on his back, and a demonic left arm.  "I will not fail," he roared in a deeper than usual voice as he flew at Galactus and clawed at him while shooting at point blank range._

            Galactus stumbled backwards, surprised by the ferocity of Vincent's attack.  He recovered quickly and swung at Vincent but missed.  "Impressive, but you cannot beat me by yourself," Galactus gloated at Vincent/Chaos.

            "He ain't alone bub," Logan replied from behind Galactus.  Galactus turned in surprise to be struck immediately by the Hulk and the Thing's fists.  Thor, Logan, Iron Man, the Silver Surfer, and Doom all charged into battle and began to pummel Galactus once more.  Vincent/Chaos flapped his wings and took to the air and kept firing until Galactus lay still and everyone stepped away.

            Vincent landed on the ground and caught his breath, staying in his Vincent/Chaos form.  "Everyone okay?" he asked Logan who was resting on a knee as his wounds healed.  

            "Looks that way," Logan replied as he sheathed his claws.  "Nice work out there, controlling the demon," Logan commented.

            "Yes…," Vincent replied solemnly as he looked at the fallen titan.  "We were lucky no one died," he added as he looked around at some of the dazed combatants.  

            "By Asgard," they heard Thor mutter.  They both turned around quickly in time to see Galactus's body disappear into his ship, moved by some unknown means.  "Get back!" he shouted as the ship rumbled and began to crack and crumble.

            Galactus emerged from the rubble of his ship, his wounds covered in metal and his form restored to what it was before the energy was drained from him.  He laughed in an eerie voice and spoke to the heroes below him.  "Thank you for defeating Galactus and allowing me to take over this body finally.  Have no doubts though, I will destroy all of you," he laughed.

            "That voice," Vincent muttered before taking to the air again.  He flew up, stopping in front of the face of Galactus.  "Garland!" he shouted, getting Galactus's attention.  

            Galactus looked at Vincent confusedly.  "Who are you that knows my name?  Vincent Valentine… we have never met…"

            "I have tried to get you out of this world and my life twice now.  And you came back again, after a million years.  I know what you are Garland!  A parasite living in the broken bodies of the strong!" Vincent yelled as he fired on the giant who looked past him, not reacting.  

            "He doesn't know you Valentine.  The thirteen did not have a communal mind, they just started with the same one.  He only knows me," Starmore's voice explained from behind Vincent.  Starmore floated there in the air, looking past Vincent at Galactus/Garland.  

            "Starmore…," Garland said with hatred in his voice.  "You are still alive after all this time…  How many of my brethren have you found?"

            "All of them but you," Starmore replied.  "You are the last.  It took me a while to find you, never occurred to me that you weren't on the planet," he added.  "This is the strongest body you've found so far though," he added quietly.

            "It will be more than enough to stop you Starmore," Garland threatened.

            "Under most circumstances, yes it would," Starmore admitted.  "Vincent, leave me to finish this.  This is not your fight," he ordered.

            "I understand.  Do what you must.  It has been an honor to know you, Travis," Vincent said before flying back to the ground and telling everyone to get back.

            Starmore's eyes flared and a sword appeared in his hand.  "Let us begin," he said calmly as he began to strike Garland/Galactus.  He flew and dodged around Garland/Galactus's head, striking when he could, avoiding a few blasts from Garland's eyes, but doing no major damage.  

            "Stop holding back Starmore, you know there is only one way to end this!" Garland roared as he swung and knocked Starmore to the ground.

            Starmore got back to his feet unscathed.  "As you wish," he replied as he unleashed a substantial Starlight blast, knocking Garland from his feet.  As Garland was stunned, he took the chance to press his attack, moving faster than most eyes could follow, he slashed at Garland's immobile body.  Garland's hand moved suddenly, unleashing a blast of similar energy, knocking Starmore back into a tree, splintering it.  "What the…" he muttered as he got to his feet unsteadily.

            "Hahahaha.  This body has the power cosmic.  It is as powerful as your Starlight Blast in my hands," Garland laughed as he picked up Starmore.  "You cannot defeat me!"

            "That's what they all say," Starmore said as he unleashed another Starlight Blast from his body, this one more powerful than the last, and more focused.  Garland swore as he pulled back his bloody stump of a hand and Starmore fell to the ground in a heap.  "I got experience," he said as he coughed up some blood.  

            "You cannot defeat me," Garland snarled as he blasted Starmore again. 

            Starmore struggled to get out of the hole that formed around him in the ground.  "I will bury you!" he yelled as he blasted Garland again, creating a gaping wound in Garland's side, causing Garland to fall to his knees and Starmore to apparently pass out.

            "Hurry, we have to strike while we can!" Reed shouted as the heroes who were in good enough shape to move attacked.  

            Vincent motioned for the X-Men to stay back.  "Hit him from here if you can, but stay back and try to get Starmore up," he ordered.  He spread his wings and joined the battle as the Hulk sailed past him through the air, reeling from a hit by Garland/Galactus.  He flew right at the wound in Garland's side and stuck Agememnon in the bloody hole and pulled the trigger, unleashing a Knights of the Round inside Garland.

            Garland howled in pain as he continued to throw off his attackers, unable to focus enough to use his power cosmic.  Rogue, a Madrox (there were a dozen more trying to hold down Galactus), and Gambit slid into the hole as the others tried to aid in the battle.  "He not lookin' too good 'dere," Gambit said as he and Madrox tried to revive Starmore.

            Starmore mumbled a bit as his eyes opened, taking in his surroundings.  "Take it easy there," Rogue said as she heard the raging sounds of battle.

            Starmore closed his eyes for a second until Garland/Galactus's voice came over the park again.  "You refuse to fight me!  I will destroy the children!" Galactus roared as he unleashed a blast of power at the hole and the kids around it.  Rogue and the others shielded their eyes as the blast stopped before hitting them.  They looked to see Starmore in the air where the blast had stopped.

            "Never again Garland.  Never again," Starmore said as he flew at Garland.  As he flew at Garland, his body changed from pure darkness to bright shining light.  There was a huge explosion as his form made contact with Garland/Galactus.  Vincent stared into the light as it happened.  His light form ripped through the flesh of Garland's head and disappeared as Garland/Galactus's body fell to the ground lifeless.  "It is finished," a whispered voice came across the wind of the battlefield as Starmore was nowhere to be seen and Galactus was dead.

            "That was intense," Chaos spoke as a surprised Vincent turned to meet him face to face.


	54. Canto 6 : Galactus : Verse 9 : A Last Gi...

**_The Song of Eternity_**

****

**_Canto 6 : Galactus_**

****

**_Verse 9_**

****

**_A Last Gift_**

****

**_The destroyers have fallen,_**

**_The man and demon are two once again,_**

**_A gift from Starmore gives them hope and changes everything._**

****

            Vincent and Chaos stared into each other's faces on the battlefield.  "The blast?" Vincent asked.

            "When Starmore killed him," Chaos finished Vincent's thought.  They both stared silently at each other for a second that seemed like eternity before acting.  Chaos growled and clawed at Vincent's chest while Vincent pulled out the Agememnon and fired at Chaos.  They had been of one mind for so long, they knew each other's moves by heart.  They were too close to each other to completely dodge each other's attacks though, Chaos took a flesh wound to the shoulder and Vincent came away with his shirt ripped open and several small gashes.  

            They both stood there, puzzled as they looked over each other and themselves.  "Very interesting," Chaos said as he grimaced in pain.

            "Yeah, great," Vincent added as he felt his own shoulder.  He had felt the pain of being shot when he himself shot Chaos, but there was no visible wound.  "Damn it.  After all this time, I'm finally free of you, but can't kill you," he swore.

            "The feeling is mutual Valentine," Chaos growled.  "But the important question is, do either of us hate each other enough to kill the other, probably killing himself in the process?" Chaos mused.  "I wish to live Valentine.  I want to soar the skies free of you."

            "And I want to get a good night's sleep," Vincent added.  "Let's stick around here, then figure this out later," Vincent said as he extended his had and shook Chaos's own hand.

            "Another curiosity," Chaos laughed.  "Your claw is gone," he pointed out as Vincent looked at his own pale left arm, whole once again.

            They left New York City the next day and returned to the mansion with Xavier, Logan, and the others.  The Avengers and Fantastic Four said they could handle the cleanup and that the X-Men and Brotherhood should leave to preserve their secret identities.  It was an uneasy ride back, with Vincent and Chaos keeping to themselves most of the time.  A few minutes after they got the mansion, a courier arrived with a package for Vincent.

            After the courier had left, Chaos came out of hiding and went to see what Vincent had received.  The kids were inside getting some food, leaving Vincent, Chaos, Ororo, Xavier, and Logan outside.  "Only one guy knew you were even here Valentine.  And he's dead now," Chaos pointed out as Vincent opened a large manila envelope and pulled out a letter, leaving the rest of the contents inside.

                        _Vincent,_

_            If you are reading this, it means that you survived the battle with Galactus.  It _

_            Probably also means that I am dead, otherwise I'd be here to deliver this_

_            personally.  I hope you are well.  I've spent my time on this world preparing a _

_            gift of some kind for you._

_            Enclosed in this envelope are several bank cards and bank account numbers.  I_

_            have amassed a bit of wealth here and now impart it to you.  Also enclosed are _

_            documents establishing the existence and past of a Vincent Valentine on this_

_            world.  I have also included a list of contacts who will aid you, should you need_

_            assistance of any kind, you just have to tell them your name and they will help._

_There is a safe-house in the town here, keys and address are in the white envelope.  You should be able to stay there for a bit while figuring out what to do._

_The house is stocked with food and whatever gear you may need.  There is a map_

_there as well.  I have pinpointed the last survivor of your time period on it.  She _

_was diagnosed with a terminal illness that may be curable now.  You can go get_

_her if you wish._

_In closing, I hope I found peace in death, and that you may find peace in life._

_                                                                                    Travis Starmore_

            Chaos pulled several documents from the envelope and examined them.  "Incredible, the fool took care of every possible contingency," he noted.

            "What will you do Vincent?" Xavier asked him.

            "I thank you all for my time with you.  I am going to check this out, live a little, find the survivor," Vincent stated.  "I am eternally grateful for your help, but I am not comfortable here with the children.  If you would be kind enough to spare Chaos an image inducer, we will take our leave of you," Vincent requested.

            Xavier nodded and wheeled into the mansion to retrieve the device.  Logan lit up a cigarette after Xavier went inside.  "So you going with him?" Logan asked Chaos.

            "I suppose.  For a bit," Chaos mused.  "We have a past together, we think alike.  I am curious as to who the survivor is as well," Chaos explained.

            "You're a demon right?  You gonna start killing people?" Logan asked seriously.

            "I do not need to kill people," Chaos laughed.  "I do not think I will either.  This world has an abundance of people who would take offense to it and have the power to back it up," Chaos explained.

            Xavier wheeled himself back out of the mansion and handed Vincent a watch-like device.  "It is programmed with a dozen or so forms, as well as having the ability to take pictures and splice them to form a new image.  I'm sure the two of you can figure it out," he explained.

            Vincent handed the device to Chaos who put it on and pressed a button, suddenly turning into a normal looking man.  "Humans," Chaos muttered as he frowned in disgust at his new image.

            "Well, I thank you for all your help over the last few days," Vincent said as he shook hands with the adults.  "I'll contact you later, once I set up my new life," Vincent explained.  "Let's go Chaos," he ordered as the demon growled and picked Vincent up with his clawed feet and flew away, still looking as a normal man.

            "That's an unsettling sight," Logan joked before putting out his cigarette and heading into the mansion.    

            Vincent and Chaos landed in the backyard of a normal looking two story house on the other side of Bayville.  They walked around to the front door and checked the mailbox, confirming that it was the right house.  Vincent used the key to open the door and walked into the house.  The furniture was covered in sheets and dust, but furnished with all forms of furniture.

            Chaos pushed a button as his human image disappeared and he closed the door.  Vincent looked around and moved to the kitchen and opened a cupboard finding all sorts of nonperishable food.  He returned to the living room to find Chaos sitting on a couch, looking over what looked like a blueprint for the house.  "Another gift from Starmore," the demon explained.  "I will take residence in the attic," he said before getting up and heading upstairs.

            Vincent looked over the blueprint, realizing what Starmore had done.  The ground and first floors were normal, kitchens, bathrooms, four bedrooms, a normal house.  The basement was the special part of the house.  There was a firing range, a computer setup, weapons, all sorts of things.  He smiled and headed downstairs to check out his supplies and figure out what to do next.

            A month later, Vincent and Chaos (in a new form that looked a lot like Vincent), stood up in a jeep and looking at maps and compasses.  Vincent shielded his eyes as he motioned for the line of jeeps behind them to stop.  "This looks like the place, what does the underground sensor say?"

            "Hard to tell, something that isn't rock is down there though.  Looks like the right depth too," Chaos responded as he stared at a green screen.  "Any idea how to get down there, I don't feel like digging here Valentine," he threatened.

            "Of course.  The Agememnon has a few tricks left," he revealed as he leapt from the jeep.  "Drive back with the others, give me a couple hundred feet.  Once I stop, fly down and get her. Keep her in whatever chamber she may be in, we need to take care of the disease," Vincent ordered as Chaos grumbled and drove away.

            Vincent pulled out the gun and concentrated on the power in the gun.  He felt around for the elemental power of wind and the magic for the barrier spell.  "Here goes nothing," he whispered as he raised his arms and let the magic flow.  He stared into the swirling sand as the wind picked up and started blowing it all over.  He pulled up a barrier around himself as he forced the wind to blow a hole down into the sand and used a barrier to funnel the sand and wind, making a cylinder straight down in the ground.  He kept it up for a few minutes, until sweating profusely he sensed something in the bottom.  He stopped the winds immediately and Chaos dove down the invisibly supported hole in the ground.  He emerged a minute later, straining as he carried a suspended animation chamber, much like Vincent's old one.  Vincent let the hole collapse as Chaos landed next to him with the chamber.  

            "Interesting tactics Valentine," the demon commented.  Chaos raised a hand and motioned for the other jeeps to come over.  He then looked at the chamber noting the old Shinra logo.  "Shinra made," he pointed out.

            Vincent found a small window frosted over, but could not make out the face inside.  "Can't tell who it is," he muttered.  "Let's get home, it's time to move on," he said as he stretched and the men they hired loaded the chamber into a truck.  "All right people, let's get to the medical compound and take care of this," he shouted as they al climbed back into their vehicles and left the desert.


	55. Canto 7 : A New Life : Verse 1

**_The Song of Eternity_**

****

**_Canto 7_**

****

**_A _****_Normal_****_ Life_**

****

**_Verse 1_**

****

**_They settle into their new roles,_**

**_As the final pieces come into play,_**

**_And find a home as well._**

****

            Vincent rolled over as the alarm beside his bed went off and groaned.  He reached out and fumbled with it until it shut off.  He sat up in his bed looking at the red lights on the clock.  "Ugh, seven A.M.," he muttered as he stumbled to the bathroom that joined to his room.  He stood in the hot shower and let the water roll over him, unconsciously feeling his left arm.  His metal arm had disappeared when he and Chaos were separated at the conclusion of the battle with Galactus two months ago.  He shut off the water and dried himself off before returning to his room.  

            He opened his dresser and grabbed some clothes, pulling them on, musing on his change in wardrobe as he went along.  In the old day, a million years ago, he covered himself in darkness as much as he could, but now in his new life he was content to wear a pair of jeans and a plain black t-shirt.  He had slept for a million years, only to be awoken to help save the planet once again, and was rewarded with 'freedom' from Chaos. 

            He grabbed his new gun, the Agememnon and stuck it in the back of his pants as he walked downstairs.  A being of immense power, Travis Starmore, had fused his old guns and all the materia he had into the powerful gun and given it to him.  It was Starmore as well who gave him the house and money to start a new life following the battle with Galactus in which Starmore sacrificed his own life to stop Galactus, inadvertently causing the split of Vincent and Chaos.

            He grumbled as he pulled on a pair of sneakers at the bottom of the stair by the main entrance to the house.  Following the split with the demon, he discovered that he was not a morning person, but he had to go to work today.  He picked up a set of keys and his wallet from the stand beside the door and went outside into the dewy morning.  He squinted in the sunlight as he walked over to the garage and opened up the door.  He grumbled as he opened the door of a beat-up jeep, started it and pulled out onto the road.  

            He drove into the business district of Bayville, the town he now called home.  He eventually pulled around the back of a large brick building and walked in a door in the back.  He found himself in a small office with windows opening up directly into the street.  He walked straight to the coffee pot and poured himself a cup.  The office was set up with one major room with entrances to the street and back parking lot, with a pair of offices for privacy to either side.  He looked out the window and read the lettering backwards.  It read Valentine Private Investigators.

            "Nice to see you too, sunshine," came a female voice from behind one of the three desks in the main room.  She didn't even look up from her paper as Vincent took a seat at the desk next to her and took a long sip of coffee.  "No calls yet," she informed him as she went on reading the newspaper.  "When's Damon coming in?" Elena asked as she put down her newspaper.

            After Vincent and Chaos were separated, they followed a map from Starmore and found her buried in a suspended animation chamber in the Nevada desert.  She was put there a long time ago because of a terminal disease which was promptly cured when they awoke her.  After that they used the money that Starmore left to buy her a place to live and used the contact Starmore left for them to make her a new identity. 

            Damon was the name Chaos went by nowadays.  He was the third partner in the group, choosing to live in Vincent's attic and use an image inducer to move around in public.  He had crafted an image much like Vincent's old self and repeatedly said he only stayed around to keep Vincent alive, since if one of them died, so would the other.

            "He's off today, it's just you and me," Vincent said as he looked over the schedule on his desk.  "The window guy got it finished yesterday then?" he asked, meaning the text on the window.

            "Yeah, Damon kept trying to spook the guy until I locked him in the interrogation room," Elena laughed.

            They both looked up as a familiar face pushed the door open and entered the place, looking around.  "When the hell did you start this place?" the man asked as he smoked a cigarette.  

            "Got the building two weeks ago, opened up the middle of last week.  How are you doing Logan?" Vincent asked as he motioned for him to sit down somewhere.

            "Fine," he responded as he took a seat and a donut from the box Vincent offered him.  "Private Investigators?  Who're the others?" Logan asked nodding at Elena.

            "This is Elena, the other survivor from my time," Vincent introduced them.  "Elena, this is Logan," he said in old Midgar as they shook hands.  "Elena doesn't know the language too well yet, so sometimes I use old Midgarian," Vincent explained.

            "I know some," Elena said slowly, angry at Vincent.  "Pleased to meet you Logan," she said, ignoring Vincent.  

            "The other member is Chaos, or Damon as he calls himself now," Vincent explained.

            "You're keeping an eye on the demon then, good," Logan said.  "Where you living now anyway?"

            "Over on Pine, new white house, can't miss it," Vincent explained.

            "Chuck wanted me to tell you come on out to the mansion if you feel like it, some weekend.  You can bring your friends too, so long as they behave," Logan added.  

            "I think we'll take you up on that," Vincent replied.

            "Yeah, we need to get Valentine out of the office and away from the firing range," Elena joked about Vincent's dedication.

            "You get much business here or what?" Logan asked.

            "Nothing yet, but something'll come along eventually.  It doesn't really matter though, Starmore left enough money too keep us going for a long time," Vincent admitted.

            Logan stood up and stretched.  "I need to get going now, gotta give the kids some training today.  Catch ya later Valentine, you too Elena," he said before leaving the office.

            "Interesting people you know," Elena added before going back to her paper.

            Later that day, around closing time Damon walked through the front door, greeting his coworkers.  "Time to go get plastered people," he joked as he sat on his desk.  

            "Some of us don't have demonic metabolism, Damon," Vincent sighed, remembering last night.  "I think I need a night off."

            "Either of you realize how unhealthy it is to get drunk every day of the week?" Elena scolded the two of them.

            "Didn't you use to hang around with Reno?" Vincent pointed out.

            "Shut up," Elena admitted defeat.  "Let's go, this place is dead today.  I'll treat," she added causing the other two to get to their feet with near superhuman speed, kill the lights, lock the door, and head to the back.  "Ever get the feeling you were set up?" she muttered as she followed the two of them out the back.  She stopped as she ran into Vincent's back.  "What's the big deal?"

            She looked over Vincent's shoulder to see him and Damon looking a pair of raggedly clothed teens waking up on the back entrance.  "Sorry sirs, won't happen again," one apologized as the two got to their feet to leave.  The two of them, obviously homeless walked away silently.  "Vincent," Elena urged him.

            "Wait, come inside," Vincent ordered.  The teens shrugged and entered the building, each taking a seat where they could see the three investigators.  Vincent studied the two of them for a second.  They appeared to be twins, both were about six feet tall with closely cropped red hair.  "What are your names?" he asked.

            "I'm Murphy, he's Cole," the one who spoke outside answered.  Even though they were twins, he looked the more youthful of the two of them.

            "I'm Vincent, that's Damon and Elena," he introduced them.  "What were you doing out there?"

            "Sleeping," Murphy answered.

            "Where do you live?" Elena asked.

            "Nowhere, we don't have a home or a family besides each other," Murphy explained.  "It's a strange story, you wouldn't believe it," he admitted as he eyed the box of donuts.  

            "Eat them if you wish, as long as you tell us the story," Damon ordered, showing a rare display of kindness.

            Cole took one immediately and began to eat as Murphy explained.  "Well, we kinda just woke up here a couple days back and have been living in alleys.  Not much in the way of memories before that though," he said flatly.

            "What's wrong with your brother?" Elena asked.

            "Cole?  Well, it seems that he can't talk, but something in my mind keeps telling me that nothing is physically wrong with him, but something psychologically won't let him talk," Murphy explained.  "Anyway we know a bunch of stuff about this world, just no personal memories.  It's very disconcerting," he admitted.

            "Excuse us for a second," Vincent said as he turned to talk to Elena and Damon.  "What do you think?" he asked his partners.

            "I've come to the conclusion that fate is toying with us Valentine.  People don't just show up unless they are meant to," Damon whispered.

            "I think it was meant to be as well Vincent, why else would they be here?  They need our help," she said quietly.            

            Vincent turned around, agreeing with his companions.  "Okay, you two are coming to live with me and Damon.  We'll get you identities, give you a place to live, if that is okay with you," Vincent stated.

            "That's very kind of you," Murphy accepted.

            Cole nodded as well, then poked Murphy and mouthed something to him.  "Oh, he wants me to tell you that we aren't exactly normal kids," Murphy explained.  "You see, I have some limited control over destructive magic, and he has, uhh…, mutant powers," Murphy explained.  

            "These two aren't exactly normal either," Elena added before they all headed to the exit of the building.


	56. Canto 7 : A New Life : Verse 2

**_The Song of Eternity_**

****

**_Canto 7_**

****

**_A _****_Normal_****_ Life_**

****

**_Verse 2_**

****

**_The new house spends a day with old friends,_**

**_Learning about each other,_**

**_Finding a little out about each other on the way._**

            Vincent and Elena sat in the front of the beat up jeep, Murphy and Damon in the back.  Vincent drove along the road as Murphy continued to ask questions.  "So all these kids are mutants like Cole?"

            "Yes and for the last time, I wasn't with them for too long, so I can't tell you much more," Vincent replied irritated.  "You sure he's gonna be okay on the bike?" he asked as he looked in the mirror to see Cole riding a motorcycle behind them.

            "Probably, he should be able to handle everything," Murphy replied as he looked out the window at his brother who popped a wheelie behind them.  "Jesus, man, take it easy," he whispered.  

            They finally stopped at a huge metal gate and brick wall surrounding the mansion.  Vincent stuck his head out the window and talked into an intercom for a second before the gate opened.  Vincent and Cole pulled the vehicles inside the gate before it closed and drove toward the mansion.  "What the hell is that boy doing?" Elena swore as Cole sped by them at a high speed, headed right for where a couple other cars were parked outside the mansion.  

            "What the hell!" Logan swore as he saw the motorcycle streaking right at him and the car he was leaning on.  He got ready to dodge it, but the rider cut the throttle and swung his body and the bike so it slid almost on it's side, with his foot keeping it from going out of control, and stopped the bike a foot from the car.  Logan watched in annoyance as Vincent pulled up behind the rider and parked the beat up jeep.

            Vincent got out first and walked over the rider talking in low tones that Logan could still hear with his enhanced senses.  "Enough, just get along with them for, no more stunts like this," he heard Vincent order.  The rider only shrugged and took his helmet off, revealing a red-haired teen.  Vincent, dressed in jeans and a tight black t-shirt walked over to Logan and apologized.  "I am sorry about that, he tends to do things a bit on the dramatic side."

            "Who is he?" Logan asked as he saw someone who must have been the teen's twin climb out of the jeep.  "Or should I say them…"

            "I'll explain it to you and Xavier in a bit, let's head inside," Vincent suggested.  Elena and Damon followed Cole and Murphy, making sure they didn't get into any trouble, who in turn followed Vincent and Logan through the mansion and out the rear, where a barbeque was taking place in the back yard.  There were a dozen or so people in the yard, who turned their heads as the five newcomers appeared.  "Stay here," Vincent ordered his four companions as he went to greet Xavier who was being wheeled toward him by Ororo.

            "Good to see you again Vincent," Xavier greeted him as they shook hands.  "It seems that you continue to amaze me, who are your companions?"  

            Vincent led the way over the where Logan was standing with the four of them.  "Is this place secure for certain things?" Damon asked.

            "Yeah, just stay in the walls and don't go up over five hundred feet, that's all out jamming equipment is set up to do," Logan assured him.

            "Oh yes, the one with enhanced senses," Damon realized before turning off the image inducer and spreading his wings, taking to the air as Chaos.

            "Well, you already know Chaos," Vincent noted as he watched the circling demon stop and perch on the roof.  "This is Elena," he introduced Elena who was wearing a modern replica of a Turk uniform.  "She is the other survivor from my time," he added.

            Elena shook hands with Xavier and Logan.  "Pleasure to meet you Elena," Xavier said warmly.

            "And these two troublemakers," Vincent said as he gestured at Cole and Murphy.         

            "What did I do?" Murphy complained.

            "The loud one is Murphy, the quiet one is Cole.  Long story short, they have a bit of amnesia, showed up on our doorstep, and are staying with us," Elena explained quickly.  "Go mingle, make with the niceties," she ordered as she shoved the two of them towards the other kids waving at them.

            "Very interesting, the quiet one is a mutant," Xavier noted.

            "How'd you know that?" Vincent asked.

            "With one whose power is like his, it is fairly easy to pick up on," Xavier explained.  

            "I understand," Vincent smiled.  "If you don't mind, let's get some food cooking, we skipped breakfast," he suggested as his stomach growled.

            Logan, Hank, and Vincent stood around the grill as they cooked up a huge pile of hamburgers and hot dogs.  "So Vincent, it appears you have found yourself a family," Hank noted as he flipped a burger and saw the two teens mingling with the others.  "A strange one at that."

            "This coming from a guy covered in blue fur who lives with a handful of superpowered kids," Vincent laughed.  

            "Touche," Hank smiled.

            "Enough with the philosophical crap, let's cook food and drink beer," Logan said impatiently as he opened a cooler and pulled out some beers.

            "Best idea I've heard in a long time," Vincent agreed as the grill flared up and caught some food on fire.

            Elena, Ororo, Xavier, and the once again disguised Chaos sat at a picnic table laughing as Logan and Vincent tried to stop the hamburgers from burning.  "Makes me glad I don't live in your house," Elena laughed as she looked at Damon.

            "Hell, I live in the attic.  I don't touch the rest of the place if I can help it.  Those three can't cook and the kids leave the place as a sty," Damon joked.

            "So, you want to be called Damon now?" Xavier asked.

            "Yes.  I have a human look and job, so why not a name," Damon shrugged.

            "I notice you look a bit like Vincent did before you were separated," Ororo noted.

            Damon frowned and started to speak, but was cut off by Elena.  "In the hope of cutting down on profanity here, he says he got used to the form when they shared it.  He does not have any respect for Vincent…  There was one more part, what was it?" she pondered as she glanced at Damon.  "Oh yes, in much more polite terms than our demonic friend would use, shut up," Elena laughed.

            "Besides, if he dies, I die.  It is in my best interest to stay around the weak fool," Damon muttered.

            "Weak you say?  When you were together, you went toe to toe with the strongest being in the universe," Ororo pointed out.

            "No, the second most powerful," Damon corrected her.  "Starmore was the greatest," he muttered before heading over to talk to the men at the grill who had somehow caught Hank on fire.

            "Neither of them like to talk about that time of their lives," Elena apologized.  "I can't even get them to open up about it, mind filling me in?"

            "You know who Starmore was, correct?" Xavier asked as she nodded.  "Well, he and Vincent killed a lot of people who were controlled by Jenova, then helped battle Galactus with the rest of Earth's heroes.  It was a rough battle and I think Vincent may still be scarred by his time spent killing," Xavier noted.  "What is the situation with those kids?" he nodded at Cole and Murphy.

            "They popped up on our doorstep, amnesia and all a few days ago.  They're twins, but Murphy is the younger looking one," she pointed at Murphy who was joking with the others.  He was dressed in a pair of jean shorts and a tank top.  "And since he's using his power, despite being told not to," she frowned," he has a rudimentary control of destructive magic somehow," she explained as he made a fireball in the air, before canceling it out with an iceball.    

            "But Cole…  Simply put, he has problems," she said seriously.  "Like you said he's a mutant, but only told Valentine his powers.  More than that, he doesn't talk.  His voice box is intact, but there appears to be some sort of psychological trauma, preventing him from speaking.  And from what I've seen today and over the last few days, he is reckless to the point of being suicidal," she finished as she looked at the boy in jean shorts and a long-sleeved skateboarding shirt that covered all his arms.

            Cole and Murphy walked over to the forming crowd of kids.  There were eleven of them, well more like fifteen, but the extra Madroxes don't count.  "Hi everyone, this is Cole, he can't really talk.  I'm Murphy, but you can call me Murph or whatever you want," Murphy introduced them to the X-Men.    

            The others went around introducing themselves until they all knew each other.  "So, why doesn't he talk?" Rogue asked as she looked at Cole.

            Cole looked back at her and moved like eh was chuckling, but no sound came out.  "That is the million dollar question," Murphy joked.  "We have no idea," he explained as Cole just shrugged.  

            "So what is it you do?" Madrox asked before he was smacked in the back of the head by Sam and a second Madrox appeared beside the first one.  "Unless you mind of course," the both added quickly.

            "Well that's a new one on me," Murphy laughed.  "Me, I do magic," he explained as he made a fireball and extinguished it when he saw Elena glaring at him.  He looked over at Cole who just shook his head and walked off.  "Uhh, he isn't too comfortable with his stuff, or people for that matter.  So what do you guys do, besides Madrox there and there and there and there…"

            Cole closed his eyes as he stretched out on the grass.  He cracked them a bit and watched as the others all demonstrated their powers to Murphy.  He sighed silently then sat up as Logan and Vincent yelled at them.  "You don't need to show off either!" Vincent yelled at Murphy.

            "That goes for you guys as well," Logan scolded the others as Xavier sent him a message telepathically.  "You sure Chuck?" he said to himself.  He then shrugged and addressed the kids as Cole came back over.  "You want to use your powers so bad, Chuck's got a game for ya," he explained.  "Two teams, you'll go into the woods, first one to incapacitate the other team wins.  Go by the honor system and minimize the damage to the property and each other.  As for the teams…"

            "Murphy and Cole can handle it themselves if they are up to it," Vincent said quickly.  

            Logan and the kids looked at him in disbelief.  "You know something we don't?" Logan asked as Vincent just smiled.

            "So what's going on now?" Elena asked as Xavier told them what was happening in the woods.

            "Let's see, Cole and Murphy have split up and are tracking my students.  It looks like to make it 'fair' in their terms, my students have split up, each going it alone," Xavier chuckled.  "While their hearts are in the right place, they really have no chance against those two," he smiled as he monitored the situation.


	57. Canto 7 : A New Life : Verse 3

**_The Song of Eternity_**

****

**_Canto 7_**

****

**_A _****_Normal_****_ Life_**

****

**_Verse 3_**

****

**_True power is revealed,_**

**_An evil man comes,_**

**_And is driven off as they catch a glimpse of heaven,_**

**_Or is it hell?_**

            Quicksilver mover slowly through the woods.  "All I need to do is spot you," he whispered as he scanned the trees for either of his opponents.  He heard a sound and whirled around to face nothing.  "Just an animal," he laughed as he turned around, looking right into the grinning face of Cole.  Cole held his finger to his lips for Pietro to remain silent as he quickly swept his legs out from under him and pinned him on the ground.  "I give," Pietro acknowledged after finding himself unable to move.  He was helped up by Cole, who then shook his hand and disappeared into the woods again.

            _Pietro is out.  Iceman was surprised when he heard Xavier's telepathic announcement.  "Wow, wonder how they pulled that off," he muttered as he transformed to his ice form and immediately sensed a heat signature behind him.  He whirled around and immediately tried to freeze his opponent.  _

            Murphy laughed as he created a fireball, melting all the ice harmlessly.  "You should give up now," he added as he created another fireball and stopped it an inch from Bobby's face.

_            Bobby is out as well.  _ Jean was surprised when she heard the signal.  _Guys, maybe we should… she stopped trying to send her signal as Cole dropped from a tree in front of her.  "Oh crap, this is a case of not enough information," she pouted before turning and leaving the woods._

            _Jean is gone.  Jubilee looked around nervously.  "We are in trouble here," she whispered.  She fell down as a gust of wind knocker her off balance and she tripped over a tree root.  She looked up as Murphy crouched in front of her._

            "Tag, you're out," he laughed before running back into the woods.

            _Jubilee too.  Shadowcat ran through the forest quickly in her phased form, but still could not spot the twins.  She stopped to catch her breath before taking off again and running right into a tree.  "Ouch," she rubber her head as a hand helped her up.  She looked at Cole who just pointed out of the woods._

_            Shadowcat as well._   "What the hell is going on?" Spyke swore and he stopped moving and waited for an opponent.  Murphy strode onto the same path a second later, looking surprised to see Spyke.  "Finally," Evan muttered as he pinned Murphy to a tree.  He walked over to Murphy, stopping a foot in front of him.  "Ha, got you," he said triumphantly.

            "Did you?"  Murphy laughed.  Evan turned around to see a ball of fire staring him in the face.  "Let's call this a double knockout, I'm hungry anyway."

            _Spyke and Murphy are done.  Madrox ran into Nightcrawler in the woods as they both looked for Cole.  "Wonder what his power is," Madrox muttered as they both stopped as they heard something in front of them.  _

            Kurt swore in German as he felt intense pain in his shoulder.  "Crap, I give," Madrox shouted as Cole released both of their pressure points.  "Way unfair, way unfair," he griped as they left the woods.

            _Rogue, Scott, Sam, and Cole are the only ones left.  Sam's eyes opened wide as a pair of hands covered his mouth and pulled him up into some tree branches.  __Scratch that, Sam is done.  _

Scott stood in a clearing and waited.  Cole did not disappoint him.  They walked up to each other and began to spar using each's respective fighting and martial arts skills.  Scott was on his rear in a minute.

            Rogue was alone when the message came that she was the only one left.  Not a minute later as she was walking, she came along a calm Cole leaning on a tree in her path.  "You may have got the others, but ah'm not like them," she said in her southern accent.  

            Cole shuddered like he was laughing, then closed his eyes and stood still in the middle of the path, inviting her to do her best.  She walked up to him and removed a glove, placing her hand on his face.  She looked at him in dismay as she drew her hand back and he shook his head at her.

            "That was unfair, they knew our powers, but we didn't know his," Madrox complained as he put mustard on a hot dog.  

            "We never said you had to split up, you doomed yourself like that," Murphy pointed out. 

            "But we had no way of knowing powers don't work on him," Madrox continued to complain.  Everyone gathered at tables and ate for a bit while complaining about the game.  Eventually they quit and a few went to play basketball, while others just lounged around. 

            "That was interesting," Damon joked to Logan.  "What kind of attack formations do you teach them here anyway?"

            "Shaddup, they underestimated your boys.  They'll hear about it later," he added as the demon laughed at him.  Logan and Damon continued to make small talk while Elena and Ororo watched the others in amusement.  

            "Hard to picture those two getting along," Elena pointed at Logan and Damon.  "Chaos used to be an evil S.O.B. when I knew him."

            "Logan didn't take to kindly to their first encounter here either," Ororo laughed.  "How is Vincent doing?"

            "He's a survivor, he's been rolling with punches forever now.  He is fine," Elena explained.

            "Girl talk is never a good thing," Hank noted to Vincent as he watched Ororo and Elena laughing.  

            "Correct," Vincent nodded.  He turned as he felt a hand on his shoulder.  "Cole?" he said as he tried to read the boy's lips.  "Slow down," he ordered as he lost the message.  After a minute of lip reading and hand signals, Vincent looked up at the sky and quickly noted where the kids all were.  "Crap.  Hank, start getting the kids inside," he ordered as he took off at a run towards Xavier.

            "What is it Vincent?"  Xavier asked him.

            "No time, read my mind and make it quick," he gasped, out of breath.  He felt a bit woozy as Xavier looked over his recent thoughts.  "We need the kids inside quickly," he said as Xavier was already sending out a message.  A second later the kids dropped what they were doing and rushed over to the back patio entrance to the mansion.

            Elena, Ororo, Logan, Hank, and Damon all met in front of the building for a second.  "Fifteen in the woods and one above us," Vincent whispered quietly.  He quickly turned and talked to Cole.  "Get in the house with Murphy and the others, only one is a mutant.  This is not your fight," he ordered as Cole shrugged and went into the house where all the kids were heading to windows to get a look at what was going on.

            "How the hell does he know all this?  What is the extent of his powers?" Logan asked as he popped his claws out and sniffed the air.  "I don't smell anything and the alarms ain't gone off yet."

            "That is because I disabled your security system," came a voice from above as a man dressed in red body armor descended to the ground.

            "Magnus, what is the meaning of this?" Xavier asked as he recognized his old friend/enemy.  

            "Quite simple Charles.  I am here to take my son with me," he said as he looked into one of the windows where Pietro stared back at him.  

            "The kid wants to stay here," Logan growled.

            "You don't have a choice in the matter, I will take him when you are bust with them," he gestured to where fifteen crude robots armed with swords were shambling in their direction.  Magneto laughed as he floated up into the air, leaving the seven adults as the robots closed in.

            "Stop the robots as fast as you can, my powers are useless against them," Xavier said.  "I'll try to get past his psychic defenses," he said as he closed his eyes and began to assault Magneto on the astral plane.

            "Sure no problem, six of us, fifteen of them," Logan muttered.  "Circle it up, we need to make sure none of them got to Chuck," he commanded as the six of them formed a circle around Xavier.

            "Elena, are you armed?" Vincent asked as he pulled the Agememnon from an ankle holster.

            "I'll manage," she replied as she pulled a pistol from somewhere hidden.

            "Finally, some fun around here," Damon shouted as he dropped the human guise and flew at a pair of robots as Chaos.  

            "Let's do this," Logan shouted as the remaining five of them spread out and took the fight to the robots.  Logan ran right at three of them in front of him and ducked under the first sword slash.  "You think you got a chance?" he roared as he clawed at one of them, slicing partway through it.  He flipped backwards as the others converged on him and waited for an opening to strike.

            Vincent took off at a run at four robots in front of him.  He took careful aim as he ran and started squeezing off shots of varying elemental powers hitting the robots.  They shuddered as they were hit, but kept coming at him.  He stopped right in front of them as they surrounded him and smiled.  "Knights of the Round," he whispered as the summon took effect.

            Chaos dove at a pair of robots and sunk his claws into the metal, denting it a little, but opening himself up for attack and was struck.  The blade bounced off of his demonic flesh.  "Weaklings, false men," the demon spat as he clawed the metal.  "You are worthless!"

            "Henry, get them together!" Ororo shouted as she lifted herself into the air using the wind.  She watched as Hank jumped around causing the crude artificial intelligence to follow him, making the robots bump into each other.  Ororo's eyes turned white as she used her power to bring lightning down from the sky, striking the robots until they were nothing but a lump of melted metal.

            "It's made of metal and I'm shooting it," Elena frowned as she ducked under a sword swipe and fired at point blank range, not doing any damage.  "C'mon Elena, you're a Turk.  Think damnit!" she swore at herself as she eyed the two robots, one on each side.  Her eyes opened wide as they swung at her, missing horribly because she was no longer there, but taking each other out nicely.  "It's a diversion," she said angrily as she turned back to the mansion and the sound of breaking glass.

            Magneto floated in the air up to the third story of the mansion to the window where Pietro stared at him defiantly.  "It is time to leave, my son.  It is time you joined me," he said menacingly as he used his power to remove the wall in front of his son.

            "Any ideas guys?" Madrox asked as he, Pietro, and Rogue who were watching from the window saw one of the most powerful mutants in the world in front of them.

            "Logan and the others are busy," Rogue said as they heard gunshots and the sound of battle.

            "Run," Pietro said as he grabbed Madrox and Rogue and pulled them with him, back down the hallway at super speed.

            "No!" Magneto shouted as he realized that they were going to run for it.  He swept his hand forward, sending a shockwave of magnetic energy flying towards the three fleeing youths.  The effect was instantaneous.  A dozen more unconscious Madroxes popped up between Rogue and Pietro, creating two effects.  The first was pushing Pietro further and further down the hallway away from his father.  The second was the opposite effect, sending Rogue flying out the hole in the wall, falling to the ground below.

            Rogue winced as the magnetic pulse hit her, then opened her eyes again as she felt herself change direction and lose all contact with the floor.  She saw the ground coming up below her and closed her eyes again, hoping it wouldn't hurt too much.  She felt the sharp cutting pain as something scratched the skin of her back through her clothes.  She opened her eyes a crack when she realized that she didn't hit the ground, someone had caught her.  Someone who was bleeding bad, she realized as she felt the wetness dripping onto her from her savior.

            "Upstairs, now.  We need to help them," Scott shouted as he lead most of the team up to the third floor.  

            Evan stayed behind as he and Murphy tried to get Cole to come with them.  "Cole, move it, they need us up there…" Evan yelled before the pulse wave hit.  "What the… crap!" he shouted in surprise as he saw Cole dive head first through the glass window, catching a falling body in midair.

            Magneto watched, prepared to catch the girl before she got hurt.  He was not there to hurt innocent children.  He saw the window explode outward as one of the people that arrived with Vincent caught Rogue in midair.  He heard Cole's scream as well.  He watched in amazement as his shirt bulged and the back of it exploded out in a shower of blood as a pair of enormous black wings sprouted from his back in a second's span.  

            Rogue felt her feet touch the ground and stepped away from who caught her in the air.  "Cole..?" she asked as she looked on the transformed teen.  He was bust pulling the remains of his shirt from his body and eyeing Magneto.  She saw what looked like a tattoo of a white winged angel covering half of his chest and most of his left arm.  As he turned to looked at Magneto, she got a look at where the wings sprouted from back.  The skin looked like it had been cut open by Logan's claws.  The wings came right out of his back, but the skin did not meet with the wings as if they were meant to be.  She watched as the wings rubbed against his skin where they emerged and noticed the steady flow of blood from where they came out.  She then looked at the wings themselves.  They were huge, ten feet apiece, dripping with his own blood from when they emerged.

            He flapped them strongly and took to the air, flying towards Magneto.  He stopped ten feet from him and settled to the ground, looking up with a steely gaze.  "Nice trick, but I have my son and will leave now," Magneto laughed as Pietro floated in the air beside him.  Cole stared up at Magneto and raised his arm, opening his hand at Pietro.  Pietro immediately fell to the rubble of the mansion.  "What is this…?" Magneto said in disbelief.

            "Called the void field, on account of him being Void," Murphy explained as he stepped through the rubble with Evan and helped Pietro up.  "Means that you are screwed," he laughed as Magneto felt his powers failing and slowly drifted to the ground.

            "Give up Erik," Xavier said as Logan wheeled him up behind Magneto, surrounding him.  "You depended on the element of surprise to take Pietro before we could defeat the robots.  They are done for, so is your plan."

            "I will have my son," he said with hatred.

            "No father, I want to stay here," Pietro said as walked up beside Cole.  "Just leave, please.  Cole, let him leave," he asked Cole who shrugged and let his arm drop.

            "As you wish Pietro, for now," he admitted defeat before flying straight up into the atmosphere.

            Once he left, Cole collapsed and caught himself on all fours.  He screamed as he forced the black wings to fold and draw themselves back into his body.  After a bit the wings disappeared into the physically impossible space of his torso again and his chest and back glowed for a second before a second tattoo, this one of a black winged angel appeared opposite the white winged one, the feathers meeting and intertwining on his spine and his sternum.  He breathed heavily, then closed his eyes and passed out from exhaustion.

            "Well, this was an interesting day," Elena said sarcastically as she tucked her pistol away.  "I think it's about time we get him home," she said as Murphy picked Cole up in a fireman's carry.

            "What is the extent of his power Vincent?" Xavier asked as Damon walked over and offered to take Cole from Murphy, who declined the offer.

            "That's his business.  Maybe he'll tell you sometime.  I respect their privacy," he explained as Damon and Murphy made their way to the Jeep with Cole.  "They may not tell the whole truth, but they are good kids.  But, we are all running from our past in one way or another, and if they want it secret, who am I to interfere," he said before heading after the others.

            "Sorry for the melodrama with those four," Elena apologized.  "Great barbeque, tell the kids that Cole and Murph look forward to seeing them in classes next week," she bowed slightly before running after the others as she heard the jeep and motorcycle start.


	58. Canto 7 : A New Life : Verse 4

**_The Song of Eternity_**

****

**_Canto 7_**

****

**_A _****_Normal_****_ Life_**

****

**_Verse 4_**

****

**_The battle completed,_**

**_They start to live normal lives._**

****

            _First period/ homeroom.  "Hello class, welcome to Chemistry.  You should all be juniors, give or take a senior or freshman here of there.  I am Mr. Petrosky.  When I say your name, come up get your books and tell me the numbers," he said as he took a seat at a slate topped chemistry lab table in the front of the class.  "Alvers, Lance," he started as Avalanche, one of the Brotherhood who helped fight Galactus, but thanks to tight media control, was still unknown, walked up to the front of the class.  Petrosky went through class, calling out many more names.  "Robert Drake…Pietro Leshinger…Alex Summers….," all of the students being there until he came to the Vs.  "Valentine, Cole…Valentine, Murphy," he looked up as no one came forward.  "Not here, he said as he marked it down in his book and continued calling out names.  "Wagner, Kurt…White Marie," he finished the alphabet.  "Do any of you know the Valentines and why they aren't here?" he asked his students.  _

            "They're new here, I met them a few days ago, but haven't seen them since then," Bobby volunteered, avoiding the parts about the battle at the mansion.  "I can try to con…" he stopped himself when the door opened and he recognized the two who entered.  

            "Valentines I assume," Petrosky joked as he looked at the twins.

            Cole just nodded in response and handed the teacher a note.  "Sorry about being late, this was kinda sprung on us and we had to talk to some of the administration here," Murphy explained.  "And it's way too early to be getting up," he added under his breath.  

            Petrosky looked over the note and then back at Cole.  "Should I let the rest of the class know about this?" he asked quietly, meaning the note which explained Cole's 'condition'.  

            "Not a problem, already planned for this," Murphy answered.  "Listen up, first and only time you're gonna get told this.  This is my brother Cole, he hasn't been able to speak for a few months now.  He is not slow, so just treat him like a normal person, otherwise he'll take offense and is liable to smack you," Murphy explained loudly to the class.  Cole looked over at his brother and shook his head in embarrassment.

            "Well, here are your books and locker numbers and combinations, just go take a seat in the back," Petrosky said as he watched the twins head to the back of the room.

            After class at the lockers, the two of them tossed their books inside and looked around for familiar faces.  "Nice to see you made it today guys," Kurt joked as he leaned against the wall opposite their lockers. 

            "Yeah, Vincent had to work real hard to get us up though, had to literally light a fire under his ass to get him up," Murphy nodded at Cole.

            "Sure it wasn't you lighting the fire?  You seem like the resident pyro," Bobby joked as he came up behind Murphy and playfully punched him in the ribs.

            "No hard feeling there man, just fooling around," Murphy laughed.  "Shit, better get heading to class," he muttered as he looked at his watch.  "One minute to find a room in a building I've never been in….plenty of time," he laughed some more before splitting off and walking away from Cole and the others.

            "You able to find everything okay," Kurt asked.

            'no problem' Cole mouthed and smiled.  

            "I think that was a no problem, so I'll probably see you later," he said as he too walked off quickly to his next class.

            _Lunch A.  Murphy walked out of the lunch line after paying too much money for the bad food.  "You've got to be kidding me," he muttered as he looked at the food, trying to figure out if it was animal, vegetable or mineral.  He looked up as he heard Sam calling him from across the room.  "How's it going?" he asked as he sat down at the table.  He looked around, recognizing most of the people.  Sam, Kurt, Jean, and two others were sitting there and made room._

            "Good, 'nuff," replied one of the ones he did not recognize in a Cajun accent.  "Since when do you talk?" he asked.

            "Since always, you're thinking of Cole, my twin," Murphy explained.  "Who're you guys anyway?" he asked as he poked at the food on his plate.  

            "Remy," replied the Cajun.  

            "John," replied the other one.  "Who're you?" the blond asked.

            "Murphy.  So what is this anyway?" he asked as he continued to poke at the food.  "Looks like something Damon would eat," he joked, only part of the table immediately getting it.

            "Damon?" Remy asked.

            "It's what Chaos calls himself now," Sam whispered quietly.  "You'll probably find out later anyway from Vincent, but these two helped with the battle against Galactus," he explained quietly. 

            "What's wit' de tellin' of secrets around here and trying to keep Remy outta it?" Remy asked, irritated a bit.  "Who's dis kid dat you just go spouting off tings that we been keepin' secret for months?" he asked as his accent became worse and worse as he got angrier.

            "Take it easy Remy," a younger teen said as he pulled up a chair.  "I'm Alex, we have Chem together, Scott explained a little to me about the situation yesterday, but I never got around to telling the guys," he shrugged.  "Him and his brother are cool, don't worry about it," he explained as he coughed back a laugh as Murphy turned his food tray over, noting how the 'mystery meat' did not fall off.

            _Lunch B.  Rogue, Kitty, Jubilee, and Tabitha walked through the food line tomorrow and spotted Evan, Bobby, and Lance holding down a table.  "You seen the new kids yet?" Tabitha asked once she sat down.  _

            "You mean those twins, right?  Yeah, got both of them in Chem and the silent one in Calc with me," Lance replied.  "Kinda freak me out a little.  I bet you one of them is a mutant," he announced quietly.

            "Well duh," Kitty joked.  "Since you guys know Vincent and us, I guess its okay to let you in on it," she whispered.  "Vincent is their guardian, they came over for a barbeque over the weekend with him and Chaos.  We had a little sparring match and they kicked out butts, just the two of them," she admitted.

            "So what do they do?" Tabitha asked.

            "Murphy, the one who talks, controls a little magic like Vincent does.  They both are really good at fighting and sneaking around too.  Cole can negate powers, it looks like," Rogue explained, leaving out the part about his wings.

            "Speak of the devil," Jubilee added as she pointed at Cole coming out of the lunch line.  He looked over the lunch room, then headed to a small unoccupied table.  He was wearing a pair of baggy jean shorts and a long sleeved red Etnies top.  "He saw us here, why do you think he sat down there?" she asked.

            "Maybe he doesn't like you?" Lance joked before getting hit by the girls.  "Sorry," he muttered.

            "I'll go talk to him," Rogue said as she got up and walked across the room.  He looked up when she got to the table, then looked down at his food again.  "Mind if I sit here?" she asked.  He just shrugged as he continued to eat his food.  "How are you doing?"  He looked up and waved his hand and wiggled his hand, 'so-so'.  She sat there quietly for a bit before talking again.  "How is your back?" she asked him.  He looked up and mouthed the word, 'hurts'.  "Hurts?" she replied as he nodded.  "Listen, why don't you come sit with us?"  

            He looked down at his food for a second, as if debating it with himself, then shrugged and picked up his tray.  He followed Rogue over to the table and sat down with the others.

            _Meanwhile.  "Do you people actually work or not?" Logan asked as he leaned back in his chair, looking at Vincent, Damon, and Elena._

            "We don't really need to, but we got a job yesterday," Vincent explained.  "Some guy thinks people are trying to kill him, so he hired us.  Damon's gonna head to New York in a day to do bodyguard work for a week and see if there's anything to his claims."

            "How much money did Starmore leave you anyway?"

            "Elena?" Vincent asked.

            She sighed and pulled out a small notebook.  "With all the money in banks, buildings, property, and the big safe in the basement, we've got somewhere around one billion dollars," she replied as she added up the numbers in her head.

            "A billion dollars…  Why are you hanging around a dump like this?  You could have your own freaking country if you wanted to?" Logan asked.

            "We've all lived odd lives Logan, sometimes it is good to just settle down for a bit.  You know, live a somewhat normal life," Vincent explained philosophically.

            "Quit trying to sound smart Valentine," Damon said from his desk as he looked up from a book.

            "What's the deal with all the books too?"

            "Just brushing up on world history," Vincent explained as looked up at the clock on the wall.  "Hmmm, school's almost out and so far there have been no explosions or crowds of people running away screaming.  Looks like the boys behaved themselves."

            "You really worried about those two?" Logan asked as he got up out of his chair.          

            "Not Murphy, he's just trying to get by," Elena shook her head.

            "The silent one has problems," Damon said.

            "He's not a danger to others, I don't think he would knowingly hurt someone.  But he has no regard for his own safety," Vincent mused as he looked over the edge of a history book at Logan.  "So long as we keep a watch on him, things should be okay.  He's seeing a shrink after school."

            "What kind of a shrink you sending him to?  Can you trust the guy?" Logan asked.

            "I believe so," Vincent laughed.

            Logan looked at Vincent for a second before he finally understood what Vincent was getting at.  "Crap, you sent him to Chuck, didn't ya?"


	59. Apology for no freaking updates in a mon...

Sorry with the taking forever for updates, I'll make this quick and painless.

Hold up 1: Had to move all my crap 100 miles.

Hold up 2: Ran a marathon, ate a chili dog and slept for 16 hours.

So I am back, and actually looked into some things with how I want this story to go.

So I just cut and pasted my little character sheet onto the bottom of this, it has who all I currently plan on using in the story and is probably butchered in the spelling department.

So new chapters will be up starting tomorrow if all things go well.  I will start typing after I see X2 tonight.

-Later

X-Men

Logan- Wolverine

Hank McCoy – Beast

Charles Xavier

Ororo Monroe- Storm

Scott Summers-Cyclops-senior

Jean Grey-senior

Robert Drake- Iceman-junior

Jubilation Lee- sophomore

Kitty Pride- Shadowcat- junior

Evan Daniels- Spyke- junior

James Madrox- Madri – freshman

Kurt Wagner- nightcrawler- senior

Marie White ( fake name) - Rogue- junior

Sam Guthrie- Cannonball- senior

Brotherhood

Lance Alvers- Avalanche- junior

Tabitha Smith- Boom-Boom- senior

Fred Dukes- blob- senior

Pietro Leshinger- Quicksilver- junior

Todd Tolansky – Toad – junior

Wanda Maximoff – scarlet witch – sophomore

Acolytes

Magneto

Remy LeBeau- Gambit- Junior

St. John Allerdyee- Pyro- senior

Alex Summer- Havok - sophmore

Peter Rasputin- colossus - senior

Victor Creed- Sabertooth

Valentine

Cole valentine- Void – junior

Murphy Valentine- junior

Elena Marshall

Vincent Valentine

Damon Illuminus- Chaos


	60. Canto 7 : A New Life : Verse 5

_Note to all: ' denotes thoughts_

****

**_The Song of Eternity_**

****

**_Canto 7_**

****

**_A _****_Normal_****_ Life_**

****

**_Verse 5_**

****

**_The four houses are separated,_**

**_Choices are made,_**

**_And problems are explored._**

****

            Xavier sat in his wheelchair as the boy closed the blinds on the windows, keeping the room dark, despite the afternoon sunlight.  He studied the boy as he finished with the last window, then checked that the door was securely locked.  "Not very sociable, are you Cole?" Xavier commented as he continued to ignore Xavier and pushed a button, starting a small fire in the fireplace before finally settling into a chair beside the fire with Xavier on the other side of the fireplace.  "Vincent figured that it was best for you to see me, due to my past dealing with psychological problems as well as mutant powers.  I brought some pencils and paper for you to use to communicate with, I am not as good at lip reading as others may be," Xavier explained as he handed a pad of paper and a pencil to Cole.

            Cole took the paper and pencil, but instead of using it, pointed to Xavier, then to his own head.  "You want me to read your mind?  I was unaware you had enough control over your powers as to allow something like that to happen," he explained.

            'It is difficult, but I can manipulate the void field if needed,' Cole thought without looking up are Xavier.  He looked at the fire for a bit, then started to draw on the paper.  'So what does Valentine think is wrong with me?'

            "He thinks your silence is psychological for starters.  He also has hinted that you are a danger to yourself.  We'll start with the speaking problem.  You are physically intact, but you refuse to or cannot speak.  Do you have any idea why?"  Xavier questioned the boy, then waited for the void field to drop so he could read the boy's thoughts.

            Cole continued to sketch on the paper for a minute before 'speaking'.  'That is the million dollar question, isn't it?  I think I know the answer, but that is something I will keep to myself.'

            "Fair enough," Xavier said as his powers shut off as the void field flared up again.  "Vincent tells me you haven't slept since the incident with Magneto.  He was also worried about the way you saved Rogue from falling, how you took it into your own hands instead of letting one of the others who could have caught her without great physical injury handle the situation."

            'Never trust another to do what is in your own means,' Cole thought.  'I don't sleep because I take the time to think.'

            "Be that as it may, I am giving you a bottle of sleeping pills to take with you."

            'Fine.  Tell me, why do you fight with Magneto and the Brotherhood?' Cole asked without looking up.

            "Different philosophies of teaching among our three groups.  Here we teach that humans and mutants should coexist peacefully.  Mystique and the Brotherhood are more to the idea that we should use our powers to take what we want when we want it.  Magneto's group has recently went even further and are more of the kill them before they fill us philosophy.  You are an intelligent young man, what do you believe?"

            'Haven't heard those words to describe me in a long time,' Cole thought.  'I do not care what you people or the rest of the human or mutant races do.  I live by my own rules.  Those who threaten life do not deserve their own.'

            "Is that what Vincent taught you?"  Xavier questioned.

            'I thought like this long before I met Vincent,' Cole responded as he handed Xavier the pad of paper, now covered in drawings.

            "Interesting," Xavier whispered as he looked over the drawings.

            "Hmmmm, microwavable Mexican burrito, you're my only friend," Murphy said as he took a big bite of it and immediately inhaled and exhaled rapidly to cool his mouth down.  "It hurts so good," he laughed as he took another big bite and walked out of the kitchen only to be greeted by a fuzzy blue mutant crashing into him.  "My burrito!" he shouted as the two of them fell and the burrito sailed into the air.  Murphy's hand shot out of the pile of limbs and grabbed it before it could land on him and Kurt.  "Kurt, mind getting offa me," he grumbled then choked as the air he inhaled smelled of brimstone and Kurt disappeared.

            "What are you doing here?" Kurt asked as he helped Murphy to his feet.  "And eating our food," he said as he noticed the burrito.

            "Cole's got a meeting with Xavier and I was hungry," Murphy shrugged.  "Wasn't expecting someone to come crashing into me, forgot you could teleport," he explained.  

            "Why is Cole seeing the professor?" Kurt asked as the two of them walked to the kitchen and Kurt started to cook a burrito himself.

            "Vince thinks he's nuts or something.  I'll admit he's disturbed, but Vince is overreacting," Murphy explained.  "Got ay pop around here?"

            "Cupboard behind your head," Kurt pointed as Murphy pulled out a can for each of them.  "So how was school for you today?  No problems?"

            "Nobody hassled us, so I can't complain.  What's the deal with all the other mutants around here anyway?  It seems like this town is full of them," Murphy asked as Kurt took out his burrito.

            "Well, it has been weird lately, but from what I can gather there are three organized groups here.  There's us, the Brotherhood, and Magneto's group, the Acolytes.  We all try to not use our powers in front of the normal people, but we usually end up covering up for the Brotherhood and Acolytes since they are less hesitant about using their powers."

            They heard the roar of a motorcycle and several other cars coming up the driveway and looked in the general direction.  "Quick, 'port us out there," Murphy said as Kurt nodded and grabbed him and they both disappeared.  They landed on the porch in front of the door.  

            Logan, Vincent, Elena, Rogue, Scott, and Jean stopped in front of the two of them who stood there calmly eating in front of the door.  "Why am I not surprised to see you here elf?" Logan commented as Kurt just smiled and shrugged.  

            "Murphy, we do have food at our house you know?" Vincent said to the boy who just laughed.

            "Yeah, but I am here and hungry, not there and hungry.  Besides, before you go into the mansion keep in mind that your powers will be on the fritz and likely to work one minute and fail the next," Murphy explained before he went back into the house, using the door this time.  

            "How do you know when our powers will fail?" Scott asked as he followed Murphy and Kurt.

            "Cause, I know when my crap isn't working."

            "But you aren't a mutant," Rogue pointed out.

            "So what, his power isn't just to stop mutant powers, it blocks energy of a certain type, which happens to be my magic," Murphy explained.  He whirled around as he heard a door slam open and a very angry looking Cole stormed past him and out the front door.  "Cole, where are you going?" he chased after his brother who took off on his motorcycle without him.  "Crap, that means I gotta ride with Vincent," he realized and shook his head.

            "Come in you three," Xavier said as Logan, Vincent, and Elena entered his study.  

            "All in one piece," Vincent noticed.

            "Yes, you were right to contact me Vincent," Xavier explained.  "The boy is a danger to himself, he has not slept in days.  Try to get him to take these pills, he needs to sleep at night," Xavier explained as he handed Vincent a bottle.  "Logan, I want you to pass the word along to the students here as well as to Magneto's and Mystique's students that he is dangerous if provoked.  We can't have Avalanche or the others trying to test him, they might end up pushing him to do something he would regret."

            "He told you?" Elena stated.

            "Yes, drew me a picture actually," Xavier chuckled.  "You need to give him something to live for Vincent, otherwise I believe he will kill himself.  He has adjusted quite well, considering all that has happened to him, but he cannot do it alone.  I leave his life in your hands Vincent."

            "What are you talking about?" Logan asked.

            "Nothing," replied the others in unison.  

            "Time to go Elena.  Let's grab Murph and go home," Vincent ordered as he and Elena grabbed their young charge and let the mansion.


	61. Canto 7 : A New Life : Verse 6

**_The Song of Eternity_**

****

**_Canto 7_**

****

**_A _****_Normal_****_ Life_**

****

**_Verse 6_**

****

**_To adjust to new life,_**

**_Something must be found to live for,_**

**_For all of them._**

****

            Damon grumbled as he pushed open the door to the detective agency and moved to the coffee pot to get a cup.  He ignored the others sitting in the office as he sipped the hot drink and swore to himself.  "Damn kids," he grumbled as he finally sat down at his desk.  "Don't you have somewhere else to be?" he asked Logan who was sitting in front of Vincent's empty desk smoking a cigar.

            "Nothing comes to mind," Logan laughed.  He had been coming to the agency every day for the last week, since it had opened.  He found it more comfortable than the mansion and could smoke without being nagged by Xavier or the kids.  "How's the history lesson going?" he asked Elena who didn't look up from the book she was reading.

            "I understand the basics, just trying to brush up on current events now.  It seems that people have started to theorize the existence of mutants following your stint with Galactus," she commented.  "You might have brought about your own destruction by saving this world."

            "That's the chance we took," Logan replied as he took a bite out of a donut.

            "It was not a stint.  We nearly died," Damon reminded Elena.

            "You have nearly died more than you care to remember.  Get over it," she said angrily.

            "Any word from Valentine yet?" Logan asked as he sensed the rising tension in the room.  He knew Damon did not like anyone and that Elena knew what he really was and used to fight against him.  He knew that Vincent was all that kept the group together.  

            "He called before I left to say he was on the road already," Damon explained.  Vincent had gone to New York City to meet with the Avengers for some reason he would not tell the others.  He had left Damon in charge of the twins when he was gone.  "I finally got the damn kid to take his sleeping pills yesterday, but they made it nearly impossible to wake him up this morning."

            "What's your take on those kids?  What are they hiding?" Logan asked.  He had been hanging out at the office hoping to gather some information on the twins as well as to quench his boredom.  

            "Nice try Logan," Damon replied.  "Whatever secrets they may or may not have are between them and us.  You can know if they tell you some day," he explained as a UPS truck pulled up to the curb in front of the building.  A deliveryman got out and brought in two medium sized boxes.  

            Elena signed for them and pointed out the sender to Damon and Logan.  "From Vincent," she explained as she pulled out a cell phone and called Vincent's number.  "What's with the boxes?" she asked, then listened intently as Vincent's voice explained in Old Midgar tongue.  "Understood," she replied as she tossed one of the boxes to Damon who stashed it behind his desk.

            "What's with the secretive packages and ancient languages?" Logan asked.

            "You'll either figure it out for yourself or have to ask Valentine when he gets back later," Elena responded before heading back to her seat. 

            "You have to admire his perceptiveness, he knew you were here and would hear what he said, so he made sure you couldn't understand it," Damon laughed.  

            "Yeah, good for him," Logan grumbled.

            Later that day, around noon, Vincent turned off the Bayville exit and smiled when he notice the town was still standing.  "Always a good sign," he commented.  He slowed the car as he passed by the bank and looked through the tinted windows with his enhanced senses.  "Perfect," he sighed as he picked up his phone and dialed.  "Get to the bank now," he said before hanging up and dialing in a second number.  "Bank robbery, get over here," he said before the voice on the other end shouted at him.  "Just ditch him," he replied before hanging up.

            He parked on the opposite side of the street of the bank and waited until a silver car parked behind him.  He left his car and quickly put on a dark pair of sunglasses and walked back to the driver's window.  "Well, isn't this a pretty picture.  What's he doing here?" he said as he nodded at Logan in the backseat.  

            "He heard what you said on the phone and tagged along," Damon explained as he got out of the car, dressed in a familiar suit and shades.  

            "What's going on anyway Valentine?" Logan asked as he and Elena got out as well.  "Some meeting of the million year old club?"  He joked as he looked over the three of them, dressed in identical clothes.

            "Hardly.  This is the rebirth of the Turks," Vincent explained from behind his dark sunglasses, dark blue suit, white shirt, and tie.  "They were a group that were used for less than honorable missions in our time.  Elena and I were members.  Anyway, we three are not ones to hide our talents like you and the X-Men.  When in New York I got an official order from the Avengers, making us official members, a subgroup actually.  This is all dependant on us minimizing property damage and casualties though," he stared at Damon.

            "What are you looking at me for?" Damon replied.

            "So Logan, if you will just stay out of the way, we will handle this," Vincent ordered as he walked across the street with Damon and Elena close behind.  "The bank is being robbed, I saw it as I drove by.  There are somewhere between ten and twenty robbers with machine guns and twice that number of hostages.  Do not kill them unless they are going to kill a hostage," he ordered as he looked over at Damon again.

            "Got it already.  Give me some credit, I can hold myself back from killing humans," he laughed.  

            "Be that as it may, Elena and I will go in then front.  You will stay here, keep police out and chase down any of them that try to escape," Vincent explained as he stopped in front of the entrance of the building.  "Show the police that ring that was in the package and they'll do what you say."

            "What about a back exit?"  Elena asked as she pointed down an alleyway.  

            "It is taken care of already.  Time to go to work, lady and gentleman.  Let's show them what the Turks are all about," he said as the three of them put their fists together as a sign of respect.  Vincent turned around first and walked straight into the bank followed closely by Elena.

            "Freeze," a masked man with a gun shouted at Vincent who looked around and took in the situation quickly.  He kept walking towards the man, stopping as the gun's barrel was an inch from him.  He looked out the sides of his eyes counting fourteen attackers, all of them with their guns pointed at him, not at the hostages.  "Who the hell are you supposed to be?" the man with the gun asked.

            "We are the Turks," Vincent replied as he slowly extended two fingers from is clenched fist, hoping Elena saw them.  

            "What the hell is a Turk?"

            "You are all under arrest.  Surrender, or we will be forces to incapacitate you," Vincent ordered calmly.

            "You might not see it from behind those glasses pal," the man said as he pointed his gun at Vincent's face.  "But you two are a little bit outnumbered here," the man joked as the rest of his gang laughed along with him.

            "Outnumbered, yes.  But outmanned or outclassed, never," Vincent said as he performed a back flip, kicking the gunman in the face, knocking him to the ground as Vincent sailed backwards toward a large marble pillar.  He landed and dashed behind the pillar as the gunmen opened fire on him.

            Elena took off toward the hostages a second after Vincent jumped into the air.  She ignored the fact that he should be losing his superhuman powers after being separated from Chaos and tackled the man guarding the hostages.  "Move and you die," she threatened as she pressed her pistol to his head and pulled the gun away from him.  "People, stay down and out of the way and you'll get out of here fine," she assured them as she continued to hear the bullets being shot at where she assumed Vincent was.

           "Whoa, keep it back," Damon said as he tossed a policeman who tried to run into the building back off the sidewalk.  "Boss man says to keep the cops out until this mess is cleaned up," he said irritably as he heard the bank fill with sounds of gunshots.  He laughed as the policeman pulled out his gun and pointed it at him.  "Same side moron, we're government sanctioned," Damon frowned as he pointed to a ring with a blue A on it.

            Vincent calmly pulled out the Agememnon and waited until there was a stop in the firing.  He immediately ran from behind the pillar he was hiding behind, shooting at the robbers as he dashed behind another pillar.  He smiled when he heard a few cry out in pain.  "Surrender and you will not be harmed," he ordered as he pointed his gun around the pillar and blasted in their general direction.  

            Elena smirked as the robbers bolted towards the rear of the building.  "Is there a back exit to this place?" she asked one of the terrified tellers who nodded in affirmative.  "Damn it Vincent," she swore as she stood and began to fire after the fleeing robbers.  

            "Quickly Elena," Vincent ordered as he made his way over to her and they began to usher hostages out of the deserted lobby.  

            "There's a back exit Valentine!" she shouted as the last of the hostages left the bank.

            "And from the lack of screaming outside, I believe that the exit has been blocked by our comrades," Vincent explained as he pulled out his gun and aimed at the hallway the robbers went down.  "Get ready, they will be making a break for the roof, try not to kill any of them," he ordered.

            "Damon blocked it on his own?"  Elena asked as she fired at the legs of the first robber to reenter the main lobby.

            "That's a good one," Vincent laughed.  "He's chasing down the getaway vans by now," he smiled as he opened fire on the robbers as they ran up the staircase.

            Two vans sped out of an alley and past Logan.  Logan watched as Damon noticed them and took off at an inhumanly fast run after them.  He watched as the vans rounded a corner and left his sight and Damon half scaled, half jumped up the wall of the closest building and disappeared onto the rooftop.

            Damon ran from rooftop to rooftop quickly, using his camouflaged wings to glide easily between buildings.  He smiled as he glanced down at the fleeing vans.  "Ahhh, the thrill of the hunt," he said to himself before leaping from the building to the top of the lead van.  

            He landed with a thud, denting the roof of the van with the true form of his demonic extremities.  The van swerved suddenly as if trying to throw him from the roof.  He chuckled and clawed his way through the thin roof and grabbed the driver by the neck.  "Pull the e-brake now," he growled.  As the man pulled the break, Damon gripped him tightly and leapt back to the second van, taking the first driver with him in one hand.  

            He put his feet forward so he crashed through the windshield, landing in the front seat.  He hauled the unconscious first driver through the window and tossed him into the backseat.  "Turn it around and take it back to the bank," he ordered the terrified driver.

            Vincent and Elena walked to the stairs and began to haul injured robbers out the front of the building to the waiting police officers.  "What about the ones on the roof?" Elena asked.  "I think there were four of them," she added as she tossed a man with a leg wound to the sidewalk.

            "There are five of them, there was a short one behind a larger one," Vincent corrected her.  "They are being taken care of as we speak," he added as he listened and heard gunfire on the roof.

            The five uninjured robbers bolted out onto the rooftop of the bank in a panic.  "What the hell are we gonna do?  We're surrounded by those freaks!" one shouted.  

            "Surrender is always an option," came a voice from on top of the rooftop exit.  The surprised robbers looked up to see two other men, dressed in blue suits and sunglasses.  The only difference was that these two had blue skintight masks covering their hair and parts of their faces (think Gambit with sunglasses and hair covered).

            "More of them!  Fire," one man shouted as the two dodged behind the stairwell, away from the hail of bullets.  "Circle around, they don't have guns or they would have used them," he ordered as his men circled around and came back to him empty-handed.  "Where are they?"

            "Always relying on guns, pitiful," came a voice as one of the men in suits talked to them from the opposite side of the rooftop.  The men whirled to fire at him, oblivious as the other Turk grabbed one of them and dragged him off behind a vent, out of view.  "Bet you wish you could hit me," the other joked as the bullets bounced off an invisible barrier a foot from him.  "Tell you what, drop the guns and you can fight my friend behind you.  Beat him and you can leave," he gestured at the other Turk.  

            "One on one until we beat him?" a robber asked.

            "Hell no, that'll take to long and be unfair.  Just go all at once, he won't mind," the Turk laughed as the four remaining robbers dropped their guns and encircled him.

            He stood calmly as they moved about him.  As the first one attacked from behind he ducked out of the way at the last moment and caught the man's fist, throwing him into a second of the robbers.  He performed a back flip and landed behind the third of his attackers, immediately chopping him in the neck ,taking him down.  He straightened up and adjusted his glasses as he looked at the last robber.

            "Try this on for size," the man shouted as he created an energy blast, sending it straight at the Turk.  

            "We got ourselves a mutant," laughed the other Turk as the energy dissipated before hitting his partner.  "Of course, he already knew that.  That's the problem with people today, always relying on their strengths.  They can't deal with it when their strengths are useless against a superior foe," the Turk laughed.

            The robber tried to create another energy blast but just stood there in disbelief as his powers failed him.  "A little piece of advice for you, don't be using your powers once we leave.  The police might not take to kindly to your disposition," the Turk explained before his partner knocked the robber out with a blow to the head.  "Thugs, not even a challenge," he commented as they dragged the bodies to the front of the building where Vincent and Elena were staring up.  "Hey, boss man get ready to catch them!" he shouted before hurling the first robber over the edge.  

            Vincent looked up angrily as the fifth robber was safely deposited on the ground.  He looked back up at the two Turks on the rooftop.  "You two are done, get out of here!" he shouted and waved his hand at them.

            "Vincent, are they who I think they are?" Elena asked as she heard a scream from the rooftop and a few bloody black feathers drifted to the ground.  "I guess so," she answered her own question as Damon pulled up and threw the two drivers to the sidewalk in front of the bank.

            "Two getaway drivers.  Alive, I might add," he boasted as he looked over the pile of robbers being taken away by police and stretchers.  "You got the whole household into the act, eh Valentine," he mentioned as he sniffed the air.

            "Yes, they need a mission in life as much as we do," Vincent replied as he saw some policemen heading toward the three of them cautiously.  "You two get out of here, head back to the office, I'll handle this situation," he ordered.  

            "Right, catch you on the news then Valentine," Damon added before heading away and hopping into the running car Logan had waiting.

            Later that day on the six o'clock news Logan, Xavier, and most of New York State sat and watched clips of what happened at the bank that day.  "There were five individuals, members of a group called the Turks.  They single-handedly stopped the robbery and captured all involved parties," a reporter commented as it showed a video of Vincent and Elena inside the bank shot through a window.  "Two entered through the front, scattered the robbers, and rescued the hostages in less than two minutes.  They later incapacitated nine of the fourteen robbers with gunshots that killed none of them.  At the same time, a third member of the group captured the two getaway drivers and returned them to the scene as the final two members of the Turks tossed the remaining five robbers from the rooftop to waiting police below," the video showed the two masked Turks from a distance throwing the unconscious robbers to Vincent.  

            "A later statement from the leader of the group was as follows," the reported explained before the video cut to Vincent talking to a police officer in front of a camera.  

            "I suppose an explanation is in order.  We are the Turks.  We are sanctioned by the Avengers to protect the people of this nation and this world from those who would harm them.  There are five members to my team and we all wish to continue our normal lives without incident.  This is a message to those who may cross us in the future.  No matter who you are, you do not stand a chance against us.  Any one of my team could have done the job the whole team did.  Do not cross us," he finished before turning and walking to his car and leaving.


	62. Canto 7 : A New Life : Verse 7

**_The Song of Eternity_**

****

**_Canto 7_**

****

**_A _****_Normal_****_ Life_**

****

**_Verse 7_**

****

**_Adjusting to the public role,_**

**_Explaining their position to the involved parties,_**

**_Omens of things to come arrive,_**

**_Bearing tidings of darkness._**

****

            "So, you mind filling me in on this situation of yours or what?" Logan asked Vincent who had changed back into street clothes in the office.  Vincent chuckled as he hung his suit on the wall.

            "What situation would that be?" Vincent asked as he settled down into his seat.

            "You five, what do you think you're doing?" Logan asked irritatedly.  "People like us have to keep a low profile in times like these," he explained.

            "People like you, you mean," Vincent corrected him.  "Myself and my team understand what we are doing, whether they know it or not.  Now settle down, our guests will be arriving soon," Vincent said as Damon and Elena emerged from their offices dressed normal once again.  "Damon, get the shades, this meeting will not be for prying eyes," he ordered to Damon who snarled but complied.

            "What is going on Vincent?" Elena asked.

            "There will be a news report later today explaining everything to the rest of the world.  Right now, in order to keep this city from going nuts, we are going to lay out the ground rules to all involved parties," Vincent explained.  "Speak of the devil, I believe we are only waiting on one party now," he explained as he glanced at the door as two figures entered.  "Lock it behind you," he ordered.

            "What the hell is going on here?  Your goon grabbed me off the street and dragged me in here!  Who are you people?" shouted an average looking woman.  

            "Can it Mystique.  I know its you and I bet he does too," Logan said as he sniffed the air and the angry shape shifter turned back to her blue self.  "What I want to know is why you got the twins working for you," Logan said as he pointed to the figure in a blue suit removing his sunglasses and disguise.

            "Because this is fun," Murphy joked as he glanced out the blinds.  "Where's Cole anyway?" he asked as he noticed his absent twin.

            Everyone looked up at the ceiling as they heard a thump followed by a scream of agony.  "That would be him now," Vincent said as he heard a pair of footsteps coming down the back stairs.  "No attacking each other, Logan, Mystique," Vincent threatened as the back door opened and Cole stumbled in followed by an irritated Magneto.

            "What is the meaning of this?" he demanded as Logan popped out his claws to attack.

            "Enough, you are here as a professional courtesy and will not harm each other.  You will have noticed by now that your powers are useless," Vincent explained as he noticed Magneto, Mystique, and Logan all looking at Cole angrily.  "I will make this short and simple so you can get back to whatever it is you do around here.  We five have been authorized by the Avengers to try to keep a lid on the growing mutant population and inconsiderate and dangerous use of powers in this town.  You have come inches away from discovery countless times before.  This will stop now, one way or another.  Keep a lid on the powers and control of your groups.  There is a lot of anti-mutant sentiment going around after they saw us take down Galactus.  If the populous learns of your existence, it is our job to make sure none of you die in the resulting hysteria.  Treat us as you did before, but remember our warning," Vincent finished.

            "I will not listen to the likes of you," Magneto scoffed before heading out the back exit.

            "We'll see how this goes, Turks," Mystique replied coldly before changing shapes and heading out the door.

            "Not the smartest way to get your point across Vincent," Logan pointed out.

            "On the contrary, they fear us and will think twice before starting something, which will hopefully delay your discovery until the world is more tolerant," Vincent explained.  "You two can get back to school now," he nodded at Cole and Murphy.

            "Whatever you say Vince.  We're taking your car," Murphy added as they slipped out the door.

            "Why are you using the kids Valentine," Logan demanded once he heard the car start up.

            "They are as much a part of this as you or me Logan," Vincent replied.  

            "Enough of this, I want answers from you two now," Elena interrupted, pointing at Damon and Vincent.  "After you two got separated, you were supposed to be normal," she looked at Vincent.  "But you did things that were humanly impossible in there, what is going on?"

            "You handle this Valentine, I am leaving," Damon answered quickly before leaving out the back.  

            "Well," Elena demanded.

            "I wish I knew, but for some reason I have retained all my extra abilities following our separation.  I gave Richards a blood sample on my trip.  He will call if he finds something out," Vincent explained.  "We can still hear each other's thoughts if we try to," he added as Damon pointed it out to him.

            Cole and Murphy arrived back at the school in time for their last class or the day, gym.  They each had a duffel bag filled with a change of clothes and their Turk suits.  They got into the locker room and changed quickly, making it out to the gym before the bell rang.  

            The class grew silent as their gym teacher got their attention.  "Okay, get a partner everyone.  Split up two pairs at a hoop, time for some basketball," he explained as he pushed a button and fours hoops swung down from the rafters.  "Probably gonna need one team sitting at each hoop at a time.  Each shot is worth one point, play to five, if you lose, you sit, I'll take the best teams from each hoop in a bit and have them play each other," he spat out quickly before blowing his whistle.  "Get playing," he shouted as he threw a ball to each of the hoops.

            Cole caught the ball and looked over at Murphy, then checked on their opponents.  "Yo, time to show off my mad dunking skills," Todd Tolansky laughed.  He looked at Cole for a second before realizing his mutant power to leap was absent.  "Or not, what a drag man," he shook his head before tossing the ball back to Cole to check it.  He looked at Cole who just shrugged as if to laugh and shot the ball in right over Todd.  "Crap, we ain't got a chance," Todd said as he watched the ball swish through the net.

            Ten minutes later, after beating Todd's team and the other team 5-0 each time, the teacher called the twins over to the main hoop and sent the remaining students to play on half the court.  "Okay, we'll do this in three games, first you four play," he pointed at the twins and a pair of basketball players.  "Then you four," he pointed at Lance Alvers, Fred Dukes, Scott Summers, and Evan Daniels.  "Who wants the ball first?" he asked the twins and their opponents.

            "Let them have it coach, they'll need all the help they can get," boasted the taller of the two.  

            "Yeah, what happened to your brother Murphy?" the other asked as he pointed to the back of his white gym shirt which was forming two long red marks down the length of his back.

            "Uhh….," Murphy stuttered before Cole made a hand puppet of a dog.  "A rabbit?" Murphy asked confused.  Cole smacked himself in the head and looked straight at his brother and mouthed the word dog.  "Oh, dog, not rabbit," he muttered.  "Our dog scratched him this morning pretty bad, must started bleeding.  Time to play ladies," he said, trying to change the subject.

            He tossed the ball to the closest basketball player who caught it and bounced it back to him.  "Try not to take this personally Murphy, but the two of us have been on the varsity team for three years now," he taunted as he guarded Murphy.

            "Try not to take this personally then," Murphy laughed before heaving the ball at the backboard where Cole caught it off the glass and dunked it.  "But we never lose at anything," he added as Cole dropped to the ground.

            The rest of the game was similarly lopsided, with the Valentines stealing or blocking every shot and performing an array of Harlem Globetrotter like tricks before finishing the game 5-0.  They took a seat on the bench and watch as the others played and Summers lost after Fred blocked a shot and passed it to lance who scored the final shot making it 5-4.

            Lance held the ball as he looked into Cole's eyes.  "This ought to be interesting, I've never really met you before, but I've heard things," he said before he shot the ball quickly and made it before Cole could react.  "You ain't so tough."

            "What do you think?" Murphy asked as he dribbled the ball and looked at Cole out of the corner of his vision.  He watched as his twin made a gesture of two fingers pointed at the ground.  "Gotcha," he nodded before passing the ball and quickly dashing around Dukes to catch the ball form his brother and score a lay up.

            Lance was serious as he dribbled the ball and tried to drive past Cole who made the task nearly impossible.  "Damn it let me through," he swore as he tried to use his powers to knock Cole away.  Instead Cole snatched the ball when Lance's attention was focused on his powers, dribbled back and sunk a three pointer.  "Guess the stories were true," he muttered as he remembered what the others had told him about Cole.

            The game ended a minute later after Cole rebounded a missed shot and passed it out to Murphy, who sunk it without a problem.  "That's game boys," Murphy said proudly as everyone walked back to the locker room to change and go home.

            "Valentines, come here," the coach said before they could get into the locker room.  "You two over thought of joining the team here?  You both have some amazing skills and…" he stopped when Cole shook his head.

           "Sorry teach, we just do this for fun," Murphy laughed as he turned and headed into the locker room with his brother.  Back in the locker room the other students were finishing changing and most were already gone.  "We need to work on a way to cut down on the bleeding with you," Murphy said seriously as he picked up Cole's bloody shirt.  "Maybe pop them out every other day or so until it heals in a way there's no blood?" he suggested to Cole who just shrugged.  "Not like anyone can really tell what you got back there anyway," he added as he looked over his brother's tattooed back.  

            "Valentine, I need to talk to you," a familiar voice shouted once the two of them left the locker room.  They turned to see Lance alone, looking around nervously.

            "Can you be more specific, there are two of us," Murphy pointed out.

            "Your brother," Lance said, a bit uncomfortably.  "I need to talk to him alone," Lance explained as he scratched the back of his head.

            "We have to get going and if you haven't noticed, he's a bit of the silent type, not by choice either," Murphy replied.  He stopped when Cole looked at him and waved his hand to signal it was okay.  Murphy stared while Cole mouthed something to him before interpreting for Lance.  "Fine, get on a computer tonight around 8.  His instant messenger name is DeathAngelVoid.  We to go now," he finished, ending the conversation.


	63. Canto 7 : A New Life : Verse 8

**_The Song of Eternity_**

****

**_Canto 7_**

****

**_A _****_Normal_****_ Life_**

****

**_Verse 8_**

****

**_Night comes to the house,_**

**_An important conversation,_**

**_A problem solved,_**

**_And files are unlocked._**

****

            Vincent walked into his house to see the twins sitting in the living room watching TV.  "News, now," he ordered as Murphy grumbled and complied.  They watched the screen intently as the prerecorded message to the media played.  "All you two need to know is that our mission is to keep the mutant situation under wraps as long as possible," he explained.  "With the disguises incorporated into your suits, you should have no problem keeping your identities secret."

            "What about you, Elena, and Damon?" Murphy asked as the anger rose in his voice.  "You have sunglasses!  I give the press a week before they find out about you three and another day until they figure out about us," he shouted as Cole nodded in agreement.

            "Don't worry about it.  They do not know we live in this town for one thing.  Secondly, there are no pictures of the three of us as we currently look anywhere.  Not in police databases, not with any government, not with any media.  Nowhere," he added.  "The police will not be investigating us either, we are officially sanctioned by the Avengers and the United Nations," Vincent explained as he heard a noise upstairs, Damon returning.

            "I can bet there are three groups of people in this town who already know the secret," Murphy guessed.

            "And they have all been informed as to our mission here.  You do what you have to do to stop them from exposing themselves," Vincent ordered.  "Where've you been?" he asked Damon who was descending the staircase.

            "Out," he replied coldly.  "There any food around here besides the MREs that Starmore left?" he asked as he walked to the kitchen.  "I guess not," he answered himself.  "I'm going out for food, who's with me?" he asked as he walked to the door and grabbed the keys to Vincent's jeep.

            "I'll have to stay here until the media hype dies down a bit, they have a picture of me," Vincent declined as he looked at a picture of himself from when he talked to the reporters.

            "I'm in," Murphy said as he got up.  "Cole?" he asked his brother who shrugged and headed to the door as well. 

            "Don't do anything stupid out there," Vincent added as the door closed behind them and the jeep roared out of the garage.

            "No more driving for him ever," Damon said as he got out of the passenger side of the jeep.

            "He didn't hit anything," Murphy pointed out.

            "But he drove as fast as that thing could go, cut down alleys, went though yards, ran stoplights, and almost got us killed," Damon countered as he took the keys from Cole.

            Cole smirked as he followed Damon and Murphy into the mall's food court.  He breathed a deep sigh when the doors closed behind him and quit controlling his power.  "So long as we don't get into a fight here, you feel free to do that," Damon said as he noted the air around him with supernatural senses.  "But reign it in if the shit hits the fan," he added before buying two pizzas and some drinks.  Cole grabbed the drinks from him as Murphy waited for them at a small table.

            "Can any of them sense it?" Murphy asked.

            Cole shook his head, then mouthed 'maybe'.  

            "If they walked through it, they'd know it," Damon pointed out.  "I wouldn't know about it if I wasn't 'special'."

            Cole nodded in agreement as he looked off into space at what only he could see, his void field.  It appeared to him as nothing more than the air being darker than usual.  The darkness expanded out as he exhaled and drew in as he inhaled, reaching anywhere from ten to fifteen feet from his body in its natural state.

            "Take a look at that," Murphy said as he pointed to where a crowd of people were running away from something, towards the food court.  "Looks like they're running from something," he guessed as he kept eating.

            "What the hell is that?" Damon muttered as he got to his feet and got a glimpse of what was terrifying the people.  "Looks like a dinosaur," he said before the entire food court heard it roar and began to run for the exits.

            "Why's there a dinosaur in the mall?" Murphy asked as he prepared to cast a spell at it.

           "Wait a second, something's wrong," Damon halted him.  "It doesn't have a smell," he explained as he sniffed the air.

            "So it isn't a dinosaur, it's a dinosaur robot," Murphy guessed.

          "I don't smell metal either," Damon added before looking back to a smirking Cole.  "What the hell are you smiling at?  Spill it, what's going on?" he asked.

            Cole pointed to the opposite side of the food court where Damon barely made out a man in the shadows.  "What, I don't see anything," Murphy complained.

            Cole pointed to his head, then at the dinosaur.  He waved his hand and concentrated his void field at the man in the shadows.  Immediately the dinosaur disappeared.  "It was an illusion by some kind of mutant," Damon realized.  "Where'd he go?" he asked as he looked back to where the man should have been to see no one.

            Cole shook his head and mouthed 'I don't know'.

            "Uh, I think its time we bail," Murphy suggested as he began to hear police sirens.

            "Yeah, I wonder where that mutant went though," Damon muttered as the three of them headed to the exit quickly.

            "Out of the way Toad, I need the computer," Lance said as he shoved Todd away from the only computer in the brotherhood house.

            "Take it easy there man, no need to get all pushy about it," Todd replied before leaping from the room.  

            Lance shook his head as he signed on to AIM as 'Shakedown'.  He waited a minute before he noticed DeathAngelVoid come online and began to 'talk'.

            Shakedown:  That you Valentine?  This is Lance Alvers.

            DeathAngelVoid:  Yes, what do you want?

            Shakedown:  Tell me if this is right or not.  Your power is to negate any and all powers around you and you are one of the Turks, so you can handle yourself.

            DeathAngelVoid:  Get to the point, I need to get to sleep.

            Shakedown:  Okay, I want to go out with Kitty, but Xavier and Logan don't trust me that much, so they won't let Kitty go out alone with me.  They say she has to go with one of the other students.

            DeathAngelVoid:  Get on with it.

            Shakedown:  None of the guy students will because they either don't like me or are scared of me.  Kitty's tried talking and has only one who has agreed to anything is Rogue, but only if the date knows about her powers and can handle it.  We've been working on this since before you got here, but know that you're here, maybe you could do me a favor, you know.

            DeathAngelVoid:  You want me to go on a double date with you, Rogue, and Kitty…..

            Shakedown:  Yes, please, I am begging you here.

            DeathAngelVoid:  I will think about it.  Goodnight.

            Cole shook his head as he turned off his computer.  He stared at the pills on the table before downing them with a glass of water and heading off to sleep.  

            Vincent, Murphy, and Damon were all downstairs when they heard him stop moving and his light turn off.  "That's a good sign," Vincent said as he flipped through the channels on the TV.

            "Yeah, now about this dinosaur in the mall," Damon said as he reminded Vincent of the events of the night.  "For some reason the guy who was doing it seemed familiar, like I've seen him before, but I can't remember where," Damon mused.

            "You're not really the sociable type," Murphy agreed.  "You know us, some of the mutants around town, and that's about it.  Maybe it was someone Vincent saw in New York during the Galactus thing," Murphy suggested.

            "No, I have a good memory, it was a face that I have seen," Damon shook his head.

            "You don't know anyone though.  You spend your days off looking through the files in the basement…," Vincent's voice trailed off as the three of them simultaneously raced from the living room to the basement stairs and bolted down them almost falling.  "Voice print Vincent Valentine, open," he shouted as he led the way down the stairs.  A section of cement floor opened to reveal another staircase leading further under the house.  Vincent continued to lead the way as the new section lit up by reacting to motion sensors.

            "When was the last time one of us checked this out?" Vincent asked as he looked at a computer monitor that was flashing a warning over and over again.  

            "Yesterday morning when you were gone," Murphy said as he went to another screen and hit a button causing a picture to pop up on the large monitor in the room.

            "That is the man from the mall," Damon said as he recognized the face.  "Mesmero."


	64. Canto 7 : A New Life : Verse 9

**_The Song of Eternity_**

****

**_Canto 7_**

****

**_A _****_Normal_****_ Life_**

****

**_Verse 9_**

****

**_The feeling of dread,_**

**_Born into all living things,_**

**_Waits below the surface,_**

**_Like the calm before the storm._**

****

            Vincent looked up from the laptop he was working on to see Logan enter the office.  "Morning," he greeted the X-Man who just grumbled and went straight for the coffee pot.  He continued to work on his laptop while Logan read the newspaper and smoked his usual cigar.  Eventually Elena and Damon came in looking irate.

            "That's it Valentine.  You start getting those kids up in the morning," Damon growled as he slumped down to his chair with a squishing sound.  "Cole has to be thrown down the stairs to wake up and Murphy has a reflex of casting random spells on anyone who touches him in his sleep," Damon complained.

            "Best idea I can think of is to hook up some electrodes to shock them awake in the morning," Elena joked.  She had picked Damon up earlier after he had awoken the kids.  "What is all this about a dinosaur in the mall last night anyway?" she asked Vincent.

            "Good question.  It wasn't any of our kids," Logan explained.

            "It was an illusion.  The twins and I were there, so once we realized what it was, Cole just negated the mutant who created its powers," Damon explained.

            "What can you tell me about this man?" Vincent asked Logan as he turned his laptop around, showing him a full screen face of Mesmero.

            "Mesmero?  That the guy from last night?" Logan asked to Damon who nodded.  "He's a powerful telepath whose power is being increased by something.  We have no idea what it is.  He's appeared twice, each time to perform a task releasing one of the seals on some chamber holding the most powerful mutant, Apocalypse.  There's supposed to be only one seal left before Apocalypse is free.  What do you have on him?  And more importantly, how do you have anything on him?  You were still asleep when we battled him," Logan pried.

            "Starmore left some files on dangerous mutants and other threats to the planet in a command center in the basement.  All he had on this one was that he was a powerful telepath of unknown ability, working to release a great evil on the planet.  But Starmore only really cared about destroying the WEAPONs, so since this Apocalypse isn't a WEAPON, Starmore let him be.  There were several warnings going off as well, but all they did was point to a location on the globe," Vincent explained before hitting a button, causing a map of a mountainous region and a monastery to pop up.  "Here, a monastery in Tibet.  If it is okay with you, I would like for you and Damon to go check it out and report back."

            "Tibet?  I barely even know where we are now," Damon complained.

            "That's because you get drunk fly around rather than study this world," Elena sighed.

            "I'm up for it.  Xavier will want to hear about this too, so he's probably let us use the jet or chopper," Logan considered the mission.  "I'll go talk to him, we can leave tomorrow, just be at the mansion around 8 in the morning," Logan said as he got up to leave.  "Might wanna pack climbing gear too, no telling what terrain we'll have to go over," he added before he left the offices.

            "Is that snow at that monastery?  I hate the cold!' he roared before leaving the office to go pack his things.

            Cole and Murphy emerged from Chemistry yawning after arriving late once again.  "Too early… me needs sleep," Murphy mumbled as he opened his locker.  "I need to tell you some stuff me, Vince, and Damon found last night too," he said to Cole who looked at him expectantly.  "Well we found where the guy might be and I think Damon and Logan are gonna go check it out.  At least that was Vince's plan last night," Murphy shrugged before stumbling off to class.

            "Hey, Cole, hear about the ruckus at the mall last night?" Lance said from behind him.  "Blob says you got a first hand look at the thing," he continued, not getting a response.  "So, uh…  You decided about that thing we talked about yet?" he asked nervously.  Cole nodded, handed him a slip of paper, then went off to his next class.  "What's this?" Lance asked himself as he read the note.

                        _I'll pick you up at 7 and then we'll get the girls.  Be ready Friday._

            Logan stared at the cloud of warm breath as it left his mouth.  He grunted and pulled himself up over the top of the ridge and looked down on the monastery.  Damon landed silently beside him.  "I don't see any people, we could have landed here instead of marching through this damn snow for the last two days," Damon complained.

            "Shut yer yap, we got a job to do," Logan growled as he trudged down the hillside towards the monastery.  He noted how the snow gave way to green grass at a uniform height all around the valley.  "That ain't natural.  Something weird going on here," he mumbled as Damon flew down to the main building on his camouflaged wings.  

            Damon settled to the ground easily and breathed in the high mountain air.  "At least it got me away from Valentine," he mused as he walked through the door into a large stone chamber and started to set up the satellite transmitter by the entrance.  "All ready," he said about the time that Logan got over to him.  "I'll send out the signals to Vince and Xavier, just grab one of the camcorders," Damon explained as he finished attaching some wires.  "And we have broadcast," he stated as he picked up the remaining camcorder and started to look around the room.

            _Damon, we're getting it all loud and clear on our end.  He heard Vincent through his own earpiece and could make out Xavier through Logan's.  They continued to look around, making sure the taped all the walls._

            "Looks like writing or something.  I don't understand it though," he said into his microphone.  "Logan, can you read any of this?"

            "No, Chuck says it some ancient form of Egyptian hieroglyphics," Logan explained.  Eventually they made their way to the far wall of the monastery where the building met the side of the mountain.  "What the hell do you suppose this is?" Logan asked as he and Damon stared at a doorway of some kind.  

            "Didn't you say there were three seals keeping this Apocalypse guy locked up?" Damon asked.

            "Yes," Logan replied as he studied the partially opened doorway.

            "Check this out then, these two doors are already open," he pointed out as he traced two large stone slabs on each side of the doorframe.  "That means that this is the third seal," he said as he pointed the camera at the remaining stone surface.

            "The thing is already open," Logan noted as he stuck a claw through the point where the two slabs joined.  "Someone closed it to make it look like it was still sealed."

            _Damon, point the camera up a little.  Vincent ordered Damon who pointed the camera towards the top of the doorway at another drawing.  _That was the third seal._  Vincent realized as Damon and Logan looked up a familiar looking drawing._

            "That is definitely Galactus dying," Logan said as he stared at a crude drawing of a purple giant bleeding overtop of a door opening.  

            "Let's open this the whole way," Damon suggested.  He and Logan set down their cameras, grasped the stone slabs and pulled until the door opened enough for Logan to get through.  "Go ahead, I can't fit through there.  Remember, I am not what I seem to be," he joked as he continued to look around the chamber.

            Logan emerged a minute later shaking his head.  "Nothing in there but an empty sarcophagus," he explained.  "If Apocalypse was here, he's been gone for a while now," he said as he pointed the camera at his own face.

            "Good, then let's follow his lead and get out of this frozen hell-hole," Damon growled as he began to feel a bit uneasy.  "I got a feeling something bad is gonna happen."

            Lance resisted the urge to wreck the jeep as it sped towards him, only to stop a few inches from his body.  He took a deep breath and climbed in the passenger side and almost burst out laughing.  "What's with the suit?" he asked Cole who just flipped him off and stomped on the gas.  Lance was dressed in jeans without holes for once, but Cole was wearing his Turk suit, minus jacket and sunglasses, with the white dress shirt half untucked and tie missing.  "Seriously, why are you all dressed up man?" Lance asked after closing his eyes as Cole went broadside around a turn.

            Cole pulled a note from his pocket and handed it to Lance who opened it to read it.  "Oh, cause you're a Turk.  What, you gotta be ready for anything?" he asked then grabbed another note from Cole's hand.  "Your mission is to keep a lid on mutant activity in Bayville.  What?  Don't you trust me?" Lance asked.     

            Cole looked over at him seriously then went back to driving.  "Yeah, I guess I do have a bad track record," he admitted as Cole nodded.

            Rogue and Kitty waited on the front steps of the mansion as they watched the jeep pull up the driveway at a respectable speed.  "You owe me for this one Kitty," Rogue pointed out.

            "You don't even know who it is I set you up with," Kitty joked.  "Maybe you'll like him?"

            "I doubt it.  At least you get to touch your date…" her voice trailed off as the jeep stopped and Cole calmly got out of the driver's seat while Lance half fell out of the passenger's side, glad to be on solid ground.  

            "Sweet Jesus, get this boy a car with roll bars," he breathed heavily once leaning on the jeep.  "Please tell me you aren't gonna drive like that the rest of the night," he spoke to Cole.

            Cole shuddered in a silent laugh then nodded his head.  

            "Let's get going then, the movie starts soon," Kitty said as she pulled Lance into the backseat.  

            Once they got going, Rogue asked Cole the same question Lance had earlier.  "What's with the suit?"  Cole shook his head exasperatedly.

            "Cause he's a Turk, remember?  Probably wearing it just in case something happens," Kitty guessed.

            Cole nodded to affirm her guess.  "So, are you voiding our powers now or what?" Rogue asked Cole.  

            Cole stared at the road, then nodded.  Rogue shakily took her glove off and pressed her hand to the side of Cole's face.  Cole visibly stiffened when she touched him, but no powers or lifeforces were transferred.  After another minute they pulled into the theater and headed into the movie.

            A few hours later Cole pulled up at the mansion and stood with Rogue by the jeep while Lance walked Kitty to the door.  "They make a nice couple if you can get over how much of a jerk he is sometimes," Rogue said as she watched the pair.  She was startled when Cole handed her a piece of paper.

            _Do you know?_

"What?  I don't understand," Rogue shook her head as she looked into Cole's eyes. He stared back at her, as if he was searching for something.  After a few seconds he bowed his head in seemingly defeat and walked back to the driver's side of the jeep.  "Cole?" Rogue called after him.

            He ignored her and pulled on his jacket and stepped out into the main lawn of the mansion.  "Cole?" she shouted louder this time, getting Kitty and Lance's attention as well.  They looked on as he looked up at the sky and screamed in silence as a pair of black wings erupted from his back.  

            "Cole!" Lance shouted as he rushed toward the silent twin.  Cole jumped and took to the air before Lance could reach him, tossing Lance the keys to the jeep.  The three of them watched as Cole flew back into the city.  "I guess I'm taking his jeep home," Lance guessed as he watched the winged figure fade in the distance.

            Murphy got up from the TV when he heard the knock at the door.  He walked over and opened it up, surprised to see Lance there.  "Uh, hi Lance…  Why are you here at eleven at night?" he asked the young mutant.  

            "Well, you know how me and Cole took a couple girls out, right?" he asked Murphy who nodded.  "Well, when we dropped them off back at Xavier's something made him flip out, sprout a pair of wings, and fly in this direction.  I just came to drop off his jeep, try to get a ride home, and see if he's okay," Lance explained.  

            "He came in a little bit ago and went upstairs.  I haven't heard anything from him since," Murphy said as he walked upstairs with Lance following.  "Cole, you okay in there man?" he asked as he knocked on the door and got no answer.  He tried the handle to find it locked.  "This can't be good, he might be bleeding from the wing thing," Murphy mused.

            "Want me to try to bust down the door?" Lance asked.

            "Won't work.  Jeez, don't you people feel your power all the time?  Can't you feel it when it doesn't work or where it doesn't work?" Murphy asked as he looked at the air around himself.  "I'm guessing he's sleeping by the way the void field is pulsing," Murphy said as he closed his eyes for a second.  "But the fluctuations are too small, his breathing is shallow, something is wrong," he finished as he tried to open the door again.

            "Just use your magic or something," Lance said.

            "Doesn't work inside the void field either, damn near nothing biologically super powered does," Murphy explained as he banged on the door.  "This is gonna hurt, get ready to put your shoulder into it," he said as they both took their positions and rammed the door, causing it to fall from its frame into the room.

            "That sucked," Lance muttered as he and Murphy got to their feet.  "Is he sleeping?" he asked as Murphy moved to check on Cole's still form on the bed.

            Murphy poked at Cole's unresponsive body, then saw the half empty bottle of vodka in his hand and the empty bottle of sleeping pills in his other hand.  "Oh shit!  He's trying to kill himself!  Try to get a response or something, I gotta go get Vince," Murphy ordered as he bolted from the room and Lance tried to get Cole into a sitting position.  

            "C'mon buddy, get your ass awake here," Lance swore as he finally got Cole into a sitting position and held his head up.  "Christ, he's out of it," Lance said as he heard Vincent's boots thundering up the stairs.  "He's unconscious or something," he said as Vincent, Elena, and Murphy crowded into the room.

            "What the hell happened to him?" Vincent asked.

            "Took the rest of his pills with a half of vodka," Murphy explained.

            "Damn it!  Murphy, call Xavier, find out what we need to do about those pills," Vincent ordered as Murphy ran from the room to make the call.  "Any ideas?  Make him puke to get them out?" he suggested.

            "Works for me, but they might have dissolved in his stomach already, how good are those things?" Elena asked.

            "No idea, he takes two a night, but I don't watch to see how long they take to affect him," Vincent said.  "What happened tonight?  Anything strange happen with him?" Vincent asked Lance.

            "Not until the end of the night, up until then he was having a good time with me and the girls, then he just flipped out and flew off when 'talking' to Rogue," Lance explained.

            "Rogue, the girl that absorbs powers?  The girl from Xavier's institute?" Vincent asked.

            "Yeah, so wha…?" Lance stopped as Murphy came back into the room at full speed.

            "Make him puke now," he said as he pocketed the phone.  "We need to get those pills out before any more dissolve," he explained.  "Any ideas how we get a guy who can drink half a bottle of vodka in five minutes to puke?" he asked.

            "Start punching him in the gut.  I know a trick that we had to use on Reno a couple times," Elena ordered as she headed down to the kitchen.

            "Great, hitting him is a brilliant idea," Vincent muttered.  "Hold him up you two," he ordered Lance and Murphy who slipped an arm over each of their shoulders and got him into a standing position.  "Here goes nothing," he muttered as he pulled back and drove his fist into Cole's midsection.  After striking him a few more times he shook his head.  "Not working, put him down."

            "His pulse is getting weaker, even if we get the pills out it might be too late," Murphy said as he looked at Vincent.  "We need to try to cast Cure or Regen or something to stabilize him," he said as he looked at Vincent.

            "I thought you said cause of his void field you couldn't use spells?" Lance asked.

            "You can, but we think there's a good chance it will kill the caster as well, due to the effort it would take," Murphy explained.  

            "Here make him drink this," Elena said as she came back into the room with a green looking liquid.  "Hold his head up so I can pour it down his throat," she ordered as she poured the liquid into Cole's mouth.  

            "What is that stuff?" Murphy asked as he almost gagged from the smell.

            "A mix of common household items, we used to use this all the time whenever we needed Reno to sober up or not die from alcohol poisoning," Elena explained as she finished pouring the liquid into his mouth.  "Get that garbage can ready," she ordered Lance who grabbed the can and pulled it between Cole's feet.  

            Cole's eyes immediately opened wide as his insides heaved upwards and out of his mouth into the can.  "There we go, but I don't see any pills, he must have absorbed most of them," Elena said as Cole continued to vomit.

            "Spell time then, he's damn near incoherent, so we need to do this without his help," Vincent said as he pulled out the Agememnon.  "Let's try," he said as he closed his eyes and concentrated on the magic in the gun.  He began to sweat as he finally felt the stirring of power.  He opened his eyes to see Murphy having similar results.  He finally formed a green glow around Cole's body and fell over as the spell took effect.  

            Murphy followed soon after, both of them were sweating profusely and bleeding from their noses and ears.  "He okay?" Vincent asked as Elena and Lance helped Cole lay down.

            "What's happening to him?" Lance asked as he watched Cole's hair grow before his eyes.

            "One of those two cast Regen on him.  His body is regenerating and reproducing cells at an accelerated rate, hence the hair growth," Elena explained.  "He looks a lot like Rene," she pointed out to Vincent as Cole's hair stopped growing.  "Sloppy suit, the hair looks a  lot like his now," she muttered as she thought of her deceased friend.

            "Cole, are you okay?" Vincent asked.

            Cole just stared out his window with his face set, ignoring Vincent.  "Listen, I know what happened tonight," Vincent said.  "You need to get over your past, nothing good will come of you clinging to it," Vincent continued.  "Can we leave you alone tonight?  Give me your word that you won't try anything," Vincent asked the youth.  Cole continued looking out the window, but waved hi hand toward the door, indicating that they should leave.

            Once downstairs again the four of them stood around exhausted.  "Well, this has been a unique night," Lance joked.

            "Yeah, loads of fun," Murphy added.

            "It's getting late, I am not in the mood to drive home.  I'm taking the guest room," Elena said before heading upstairs an closing the guest room door behind her.  

            "You mind staying here the night Lance?" Murphy asked.  "The couch folds out and all, but me and Vince are probably gonna pass out in the next five minutes," Murphy said as he leaned on the wall.

            "Yeah, no problem," Lance agreed as Vincent tossed him some blankets from a closet.  "You think he'll be okay?"

            "The kid is a survivor, he'll make it," Vincent said before trudging up the stairs.

            "Cole will live," Murphy said with a faraway look in his eyes.

            "Yeah, I think so too, but I have a weird feeling.  Like something bad is going to happen, you know," Lance said before he noticed Murphy's half closed eyes and weary body halfway up the stairs heading to his room.  "Almost like the worst is yet to come," Lance whispered as he opened up the couch and fell asleep.


	65. Canto 8 : The Mutant Underground : Verse...

For new readers, which I hope there are, here is a quick recap on what you need to know:  There are four groups in Bayville, the X-Men, the Brotherhood, the Acolytes, and the Turks.  The first three are made up of their respective mutants, the last I made up of Vincent Valentine, Elena Marshall, Chaos (separated from Vincent, he calls himself Damon), and Cole and Murphy, a pair of mysterious twins.  Vincent and Elena were in suspended animation for a million years until the world got like this and Vincent awoke to fight Galactus (canto 6) and was separated from Chaos when a powerful being known as Starmore died.  Starmore and Vincent have a past together(Canto 3 and 5).  Anyway, Cole tried to kill himself last night, Lance, Vincent, Murphy, and Elena saved him and have slept at the house for the night.  Damon is in Tibet investigating Apocalypse with Logan.  You want to know more, then read on, or go read previous cantos.  Time for all hell to break loose.

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**_The Song of Eternity_**

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**_Canto 8_**

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**_The Mutant Underground_**

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**_Verse 1_**

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**_Too Little Too Late_**

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**_The calm is over,_**

**_The chain of events has begun,_**

**_No chance to change them,_**

**_All that is left is to react._**

****

            Lance opened his eyes a crack and rolled over to get away from the sunlight coming through the window.  When his vision focused he remembered where he was.  He had been out an a double date with Kitty, Rogue, and Cole last night when Cole went nuts and flew here after sprouting a pair of black feathered wings.  Once he got here to check on him, he and Murphy found him trying to kill himself with sleeping pills and worked with Vincent and Elena to save him.  He grunted as he got up off the bed and walked over to the kitchen to see what kind of food there was.

            He opened cupboard upon cupboard, finding nothing more than hundreds of MREs.  "No real food in this damn house," he swore as he slammed the last cupboard.  He walked over to the refrigerator and opened it to see a few half eaten pizzas.  "Works for me," he sighed as he grabbed a slice and tossed it in the microwave.  As it cooked he looked out the kitchen window into the back yard.  "What in the hell?" he swore as he tried to figure out what he was looking at.  There were a dozen men that looked like marines, armed to the teeth, coming towards the house.  He grabbed the slice of pizza as the microwave finished cooking it and headed to the stairs to go alert the others.

            He knocked on Murphy's door first.  "Go 'way, nobody here," he heard Murphy mutter.

            "Murph, look out your window," he whispered loudly then took a bite of his pizza.

            He heard some rustling then a thump and swearing.  "Ouch, son of a bitch, what the hell is going on here," Murphy swore.  "Go wake Vincent, last door on the left," Murphy shouted through the door.

            Lance started beating on Vincent's door once he got there and was surprised as a fully clothed and alert looking Vincent opened it.  "Yes?"

            "Uhhh, your house is being surrounded by marines…," Lance explained.

            "Great, just great.  Go wake up Cole, I'll get Elena," he ordered as he saw Murphy stumble out of his room.  Murphy and Lance pushed open Cole's door that they had to break down last night and entered the room.  "Elena, we have a situation, wake up," Vincent ordered as he knocked on Elena's door.

            "Dude, he's where we left him last night, he hasn't moved at all," Lance pointed out as Murphy tried to get a reaction from Cole.

            "He's meditating, he's starting to come out of it, but it will take a few more minutes," Murphy explained. 

            "He'll be fine, follow me," Vincent ordered as he passed the open door and headed down the stairs.  A minute later everyone but Cole was assembled by the front door.  Vincent and Elena were dressed in the familiar blue suits of the Turks while Lance and Murphy had nothing but jeans and t-shirts.  "Stay inside, let me go talk to them," Vincent ordered as he pulled out his gun, the Agememnon.  His old guns and materia were transformed into this one by Starmore several months ago.

            Vincent pulled on a pair of sunglasses as he opened the door and stepped out into the morning sunlight.  He glanced around him to see three marines on either side of the porch with machine guns pointed at him.  "You are trespassing," Vincent said as he left his gun pointed at the ground, not wanting to get filled with holes.  When the marines did not respond he tried something else.  "Where is your commanding officer?  I am interested in seeing what would possess him to take such action against someone who is sanctioned by the Avengers and the United Nations," Vincent demanded. 

            He watched as a tank rolled down the street and stopped in front of his house.  He kept watching as a colonel got out and walked until he was a few feet in front of Vincent.  "I am Colonel Stone.  Vincent Valentine, you and the rest of the Turks are hereby placed under arrest by the United States of America," the man stated.

            "On what charges?" Vincent growled, not liking the situation.

            "For having knowledge of and aiding the mutant terrorists in the town.  By order of the United States, your people and the rest of the mutant terrorists in this town are to be placed under arrest and taken to a maximum security military prison," Stone explained.  "If you refuse to come peacefully we will be forced to attack you."

            "This is a mistake," Vincent said as he looked at the ground in front of him.  "We were put here to keep the mutants in check and have done so for the past week.  What has caused this order to come about?"

            "The president learned exactly who the mutants you were protecting are and what their powers are and deemed the threat to great.  Please come with us, make this easy on yourself and the others in there," Stone threatened.

            "We will not be taken as criminals because you fear us," Vincent said defiantly.  "Barrier," he whispered.  He backed up slowly until he was back at then door.  "You will not take us," he added.

            "Open fire!" Stone shouted as Vincent opened the door and ran back inside.  The bullets fired at the door stopped harmlessly as they hit Vincent's barrier spell.  "Take the house!" Stone shouted.

            "Voiceprint authorization: Vincent Valentine, code red, lockdown the house now!" Vincent shouted as he heard Stone's orders.  The house reacted immediately, metal plates slid out from nowhere and covered all the windows and door to prevent access.  "Cole get your ass down to the basement!" Vincent shouted as he led the rest of them into the basement.  "Code red: activate war room," Vincent said clearly as the walls slid back to reveal cameras showing the outside of the house and the floor opened  to reveal the secret computer room left by Starmore.  Cole staggered down the stairs, looked at the images from outside, then looked at Vincent questioningly.

            "Someone in the government has declared it open season on mutants," Vincent explained.  "Apparently the Turks are fair game as well.  We need to get out of here and help the others if we can," Vincent said as he pressed a button and a map of Bayville came up.  "Elena, go to Magneto's group.  Lance, you go with Murphy to your own house.  Cole, you head out to Xavier's.  I will follow you after creating a diversion here.  Be careful, these marines know your powers and are prepared," Vincent added.  "Evacuation packs deploy," he said causing another wall panel to open, revealing several lightweight backpacks.  "Take one of these, it has money, directions to various safe houses, keys and directions to spare cars we keep around the city, everything you need to get out of here," he explained.

            "How are we gonna escape, you sealed us in here?" Lance asked as he and the others put their packs on.

            "There's an escape tunnel with some vehicles in it," Vincent explained as he pulled open a hatch.  "Just drive and you'll come out a couple blocks away," he added.  

            "Vincent, I do not have a weapon, and if these marines know what their powers are…," Elena pointed out, trying to get the point across that they needed guns.  

            "Weapon rack, open," Vincent ordered as the final wall opened to reveal all sorts of guns.  "Try not to kill anyone, they're just doing their jobs.  Most of these pulse weapons, which means keep it turned halfway up unless you want to kill someone," Vincent said as he pulled a sniper rifle off the wall and strapped it to his back. 

            Murphy grabbed a pair of ones that looked like sub-machineguns and swung them over his shoulder.  Lance grabbed one that looked like an uzi, he was uncomfortable with guns.  Elena took a pair of pistols with hip holsters.  Cole was armed to the teeth in seconds.  He strapped a pair of pistols with thigh holsters on, followed by a pair of swords on his back, finally picking up a huge gun that looked more like a cannon than a gun.  He threw his Turk jacket on back over everything and pulled out his sunglasses.

            "Get going, I'll distract them and meet up with you later," Vincent ordered as Elena, Murphy, and Lance went down the hatch.  "Cole, I am begging you here.  I know you are going through a tough time, but killing people will not help our situation," Vincent pleaded.

            Cole shook his head and pointed at the monitors where the marines were trying to open up the house.  He then mouthed, 'They will not spare us' before he went down the hatch as well.


	66. Canto 8 : Verse 2 : Hitting the Road

**_The Song of Eternity_**

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**_Canto 8_**

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**_The Mutant Underground_**

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**_Verse 2_**

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**_Hitting the Road_**

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**_Some are taken,_**

**_And some escape,_**

**_While others battle to keep them free,_**

**_And one's descent into darkness continues._**

****

            Vincent looked down at the soldiers from his fairly protected and hidden vantage point on the roof of the house.  They were trying to force open the doors with their guns to no avail.  Then one of them opened fire on the wall of the house for a bit, then stopped when he realized that the walls were metal as well, just covered with a bit of wood and paint.  "Never gonna get in here, Starmore made sure of that," Vincent muttered as he pulled the sniper rifle to his eye.  "Time to go to work gentlemen," he said before zeroing in on his targets.

            Colonel Stone watched as his men tried to force their way into the house to no avail.  He went back to the tank to get on his radio to call in to his boss as to the situation when the first of his men fell down, clutching his leg.  Immediately after a half dozen more of his men fell to the ground injured as Vincent continued to fire on them from his hidden place on the roof.  The Colonel ran for cover as Vincent took out the tires on the jeeps and any other soldiers who had not taken cover.  "Where is he?" the colonel shouted as some of his men scanned the area with their rifles.

            "You will surrender now, or face the consequences, keep in mind, some of my companions will not take it easy on you when they encounter your forces," Vincent shouted down from the rooftop.

            "You people are a menace, we will bring you in," the Colonel shouted back.

            "Thought you'd say that," Vincent replied.  "I suggest you all get away from the tank then," Vincent added before he gave them a few seconds, then popped up with the Agememnon and blasted the tank with a bullet empowered by the Ultima spell.  As the bullet hit the tank, the tank lifted off the ground and flipped back across the road, landing upside down with a huge dent in it.  "The jeeps too, ladies," he shouted as he heard the soldiers run for cover.  He then popped up and blew up all the military jeeps with several well placed Firaga shots to the engine areas.  "That will teach you to mess with a Turk," Vincent shouted before heading back into the house to make his escape.

            Elena parked her car across the street and looked at the house where Magneto and his Acolytes had taken up residence earlier, following their break with the Brotherhood.  She watched as they carried out the incapacitated forms of Magneto, Colossus, and Pyro.  She put down her window a crack and heard gunfire and screams from the back of the building.  "Valentine, this thing better be bulletproof like it's supposed to be," she muttered before shifting into drive and flooring the gas as the car sped across the lawn.

            As she wrestled with the wheel, the car swung broadside around the corner of the house and scattered a surprised group of combatants.  There were half a dozen soldiers on the left of the car and Sabertooth and Gambit on the right side.  She hit the brakes and hit the buttons to open up the right side doors.  "Get in!" she shouted as she stuck her pistol out the top of her window and fired at the soldiers who dove for cover.

            "Go, get driving girl," Remy shouted once he and Sabertooth were in and closing the doors.  Elena stomped on the gas again as she tore up the yard and screeched onto the road.

            "What happened?  Did they kill the others?" Elena asked as she headed for the closest highway.

            "They came in really fast, had some sort of plastic armor, which made Magneto pretty useless," Sabertooth explained from the back.  "After that, they tagged him, Pyro, and Colossus with some sort of power-neutralization weapon and knocked them out," he explained.

            "By then me and tooth were out 'de back windows and had to go head to head with the soldiers you saw, who coincidentally tagged us with the power-neutralizing guns and started trying to take us," Gambit explained as he looked out the back window.

            "Good thing my only power is to heal extra fast, they got in a few good shots on me, but I'll live," Creed muttered from the backseat.  "Where are we headed?"

            "Good question," Elena responded as she reached under her seat and pulled up a manila folder marked evacuation procedure.  "Here, I gotta concentrate on driving," she said as she tossed it to Gambit.  

            Gambit opened up the envelope and started to scan the pages.  "We on the highway yet?" he asked as Elena pulled the wheel to the side and drove through someone's yard and up a small hill onto the highway.

            "We are now," she said as she floored the pedal.

            "Okay, since we are being pursued or will be soon, it says to push the red button in the glove compartment," Gambit read.  He then popped open the glove box to reveal a small computer screen and many buttons.  "Here goes nothing," he whispered as he pushed in the red one.  The radio of the car slid back to reveal another computer screen with several options on the screen.

            Remy looked it over before talking to Elena and Creed again.  "'Dis thing is just about the coolest thing I have ever seen.  All I gotta do is push these two things," he explained as he pressed two areas of the screen.  "And the car's plates and color change," he said as they watched the hood of the car turn from red to black.  "And now, they can't find us," he beamed.

            "Good," Elena said as she slowed down.  "Look in the evac folder," she ordered Remy.  "Is there a place in New York City?" she asked him.

            "Yeah, says there's a safe house near the waterfront," he said as he looked over the papers.  "And it says you can talk to the other vehicles," he said as he pressed a green button in the glove compartment.

            _Where are we going anyway?  They heard Pietro's voice come over the speakers.  _

            "Find out a way to transmit to them, tell them to head to the New York City safe house and meet up with us there," Elena ordered as she noticed Creed coming close to slumping into unconsciousness in the back.  "And see if there is anything about a first aid kit," she added.

            _How am I supposed to know?  Read the damn papers I gave you.  I'm busy trying to escape the military.   They heard Murphy's voice come over the speakers followed by a burst of gunfire._

            Murphy and Lance stopped a block away from the Brotherhood's house and checked out the situation with binoculars.  "Doesn't look too good," Murphy said as he watched the marines lead or drag Fred and Mystique from the building.  "Mystique is blue and Fred is being pushed around, you know what that means?"

            "It means they have guns that can neutralize powers," Pietro said from the backseat.  "They already took Tabitha away in a truck and Wanda never came home last night," he explained.

            "Great, where's Toad?" Lance asked.

            "Hey, man, time to get out of here," Toad said as he landed next to the car and closed the door behind him.  "Those military guys are right behind me, better step on it," he said as he pointed at half a dozen marines coming up the alley behind the car.

            "Moron, you led them right to us," Lance shouted angrily as Murphy floored the gas. 

            "It was kinda unavoidable Lance.  This whole town is crawling with military guys," Toad explained as the car sped up a street.  "Just look around, someone tipped them off about us and our powers, Mystique didn't even fool them, they were expecting her."

            "Shut the hell up and let me drive!" Murphy ordered as he narrowly avoided being sideswiped by a hummer.  He glanced into his rear view mirror to see it and several others hot on their tail.  "Here look through those papers Valentine gave us while I get us out of town," he said as he handed Lance the small pack Vincent had given them before leaving.  "We might end up fighting these guys if I can't lose them."

            "Where are we going anyway?" Pietro asked.

            "How am I supposed to know?  Read the damn papers I gave you.  I'm busy trying to escape the military," Murphy replied.  "This thing better be bulletproof," he mumbled as he heard the machinegun fire hitting the back of the car.

            _Murphy, this is Elena.  Open the glove box and hit the green button twice to open up the two way radio transmission between the cars._

"Got it," Lance said.  

            "What's the plan Elena?" Murphy asked as he turned sharply down a side street.  

            _Ditch whoever is following you, then follow the instructions in the papers in your pack, they'll explain how to change the car's color and plates while moving.  Just lose your tail and get on the highway.  We'll meet you at the safe house in __New York City__._

_            "Great, now I just gotta ditch a caravan of hummers," he muttered as he narrowly avoided one going in the opposite direction.  "No problem, piece of cake," he added sarcastically.  "Lance, you're gonna have to wreck the road behind us as we are driving, otherwise we're dead meat."_

            Rogue and Scott kept the soldiers a fair distance away with optic blasts as they fell back towards the woods.  "Just a little longer, we need to give Kurt and Jamie more time to get away," Scott said as he dodged a dart full of the power neutralization chemical.

            "Except there is the small problem of how we escape," Rogue pointed out as she phased and a dart passed through her.  "Anyone else escape?" she asked as she knocked away a soldier who got too close.

            "I don't think so, Jean and the Professor are down though, so there's no way to tell," Scott said as he felt a dart sink into his skin and his powers sputtered and died.  "Crap, we are in trouble," he said as he saw one tag Rogue as well as her phasing powers faded away.  

            "You think?" she said angrily.  "We have another problem now, we can't make it to the woods," she pointed out as three humvees cut off their escape route.  

            "You want to fight or surrender?" he asked as the soldiers closed in on them.

            "Do you have to ask?" she replied as he put up her fists, ready to take on the first soldier to get close enough.  They looked back at the front of the mansion as a chain reaction of four explosions rocked the area.  "What was that?"

            "It wasn't part of the security system," Scott said as he heard the groan of metal of a tank being hit by something powerful.  He blinked as the sky lit up bright white as something else exploded in the front yard of the house.  When his vision cleared he saw a dark shape come from the air and land behind the soldiers.

            The figure took shape as Scott and Rogue realized who it was.  There was a disgusting wet sound as Cole drew his black wings back into his body until he stood there in the suit he wore the previous night, breathing heavily, but not looking too worried.  "Cole, get out of here!" Scott shouted at him.

            Cole shook his head and pointed for the two of them to head for the woods.  A soldier swung his rifle at Cole who flipped out of the way and delivered a chop to the neck, knocking out the off balance soldier.  "Shoot him, he's a mutant, without his powers he's just a kid!" the leader of the group of soldiers shouted as his men fired a dozen darts into a surprised looking Cole.

            Cole pulled each dart out quickly, but whatever fluid was in them had entered his bloodstream.  He shook his head and blinked his eyes a couple times, then smirked as he sized up the soldiers preparing to take him, Scott, and Rogue.  "Idiots, you are all idiots," Cole spoke, surprising Scott and Rogue.  "Cole's power is to negate a certain anomaly, one of which is mutant powers.  It is not there for him to use, to turn on and off.  It is supposed to be on so I do not emerge.  He would have let you live, he even tried to not hurt you too bad.  But I have no such qualms," he finished as he drew out the pistols he took from the basement.

            He then clutched his head and returned the pistols to their holsters.  "Seems like you get to live a little longer since I don't see any corpses," he grumbled before pulling out the two medium sized katanas he brought with him.  "But I still get to do a little slicing and dicing," he grinned as he started to walk towards the soldiers.  

            The first soldier swung his gun at Cole who sliced through it with one swipe, then cut a gash into the man's kevlar vest.  He then swept the man's legs out from under him with a sweeping kick prepared himself as three others rushed him.  He kept them at bay with his swords as Scott and Rogue watched the battle.  He delivered a few nasty cuts to the arms and legs of the men, causing them to retreat from the attack.  

            "He is one of the Turks, stop playing around and take him," the leader of the soldiers ordered.  Immediately two dozen of the soldiers who were watching the encounter swarmed Cole, striking him with their rifles and piling on his body.  "Don't kill him unless it is unavoidable," the man ordered as the attack continued.  

            "Enough of this!" Cole's voice roared from the pile of bodies.  Immediately soldier began to fly back as they were struck with energy blasts from Cole's pistols.  "You people do not know who you are messing with here," he continued as the soldiers around him began to back off a bit.  "You came here to kidnap children.  You did not expect to find a Turk!" he shouted as he delivered a roundhouse kick to a soldier, cracking his jaw so loud everyone heard.  "Do you even know what a Turk is?  A Turk is a killer, plain and simple!" he continued to rant as he quickly pulled out his swords and severed several more tendons and dropped several more soldiers.  

            "Fall back!" the leader ordered as the remaining few soldiers who were attacking Cole pulled themselves away from the blood soaked Turk.  

            One soldier was limping away before he got grabbed by the back of the neck and forcibly drug backwards by Cole.  "I think they need a little persuasion to leave us alone," Cole whispered in his ear as he pressed a pistol to the soldier's head.  "Now the question is whether to kill you or not.  I could to it so easily, I could just pull the trigger," Cole taunted as he watched the terrified look in the man's eyes.  

            "Cole, leave him, we need to go," Scott said as he and Rogue came up behind the Turk.

            "I'll just finish with this one," Cole muttered as he stared at the man.

            "If you kill him you'll just prove that what they're doing is right, don't let them win.  You're better than them, Cole," Scott pleaded.

            "Haven't you heard?  Cole isn't here right now," Cole replied as he stared at the man.  "But he wants to get you two to safety, so this man can live," he added as he holstered his gun.  "Tell your people this, do not follow me.  If I ever see any of your people again, I will not hesitate to crush you like the insignificant bugs you are," he whispered to the soldier before pushing him away and running into the woods with Scott and Rogue.

            Vincent picked up his cell phone as it went off in his pocket.  "This is Vincent," he answered as he drove cautiously towards Xavier's mansion.  

            "We need a pick up at the service road near the back of Xavier's place," the voice replied.

            "Who is this?" Vincent asked as he sped up and headed to where the back gate of the institute was located and crashed through it.  "Cole?"

            "Cole's gone until this stuff they stuck us with wears off.  Until then I guess I'm in charge of the body," the voice replied.

            "Terrific.  Who's with you?" he asked as he tried to deal with the situation.

            "Scott, Rogue, Madrox, and Kurt.  Only one with powers is Madrox, he's slowing down the guys chasing us a little with his duplicates.  We'll be hitting the road in a minute, we can see your dust trail," Cole explained.

            "Give me Scott," Vincent ordered.

            "Vincent?  What's going on?" he heard Scott's voice.  "First we get attacked, then Cole shows up talking and nearly kills some soldiers, and now we're powerless," Scott stopped as Vincent started to explain.

            "No idea about the attack, but they are US military.  We're going to get everyone we can to safe houses and figure out what is going on.  Listen, what you need to know about Cole is that he has two distinct personalities.  The one in charge now is held in check by his void field, but it appears that the void field will be gone until his powers return.  This personality is dangerous, try to keep him from killing if you can.  I see a Madrox, hurry up and get to my car," he ordered as he turned his car around and half a dozen Madroxes ran towards the car.

            "Only the original, the rest of you disappear," he ordered as he got out and pulled out his sniper rifle, training it on where he saw Scott and Kurt emerge from the woods.  A second later Rogue tumbled out followed by Cole battling a soldier.  "Damn," Vincent swore as he took aim and blew out the man's knee with a single shot.  He watched in horror as he saw Cole smile back at him, then move towards the injured man.  "He's going to kill him," Vincent whispered as he took another shot, grazing Cole's arm.  He watched as Cole looked at him angrily then left the man alive and jogged lightly towards the car.

            "Never do that again," Cole threatened as he climbed into the front with Madrox.  Kurt, Scott, and Rogue piled in the back as Vincent took off.  "Where are we going?" Cole asked as he popped open the glove box and started pushing buttons until the screen behind the radio changed to that of a map of the Bayville area.  "Only exit is north," he pointed out as he recognized the images of troops and vehicles.

            "Then we are going to Boston, try to raise Elena and Murphy and check if they are okay," Vincent ordered as he floored the gas and headed for the highway.


	67. Canto 8 : The Mutant Underground : Verse...

**_The Song of Eternity_**

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**_Canto 8_**

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**_The Mutant Underground_**

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**_Verse 3_**

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**_Laying Low_**

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**_In strange cities,_**

**_In strange accommodations,_**

**_The situation is explained,_**

**_And ultimatums are sent._**

****

            As Vincent drove through the darkened streets of Boston, he looked in his mirrors to check on the three teens sleeping in the back seat.  Rogue, Kurt, and Scott were asleep after the events of the day.  Vincent had had to drive a longer than usual route, taking him close to Canada and through Maine to reach Boston from the north without alerting the authorities.  The process, combined with the exertions of the youths earlier had led to the car full of two Turks and four sleeping teens.  After checking once more to make sure Madrox was sleeping he saw that Cole was staring out the window with a stoic expression as he had been doing ever since they got out of Bayville.  "Your powers are back, but who is in charge in that head of yours?" he asked quietly, knowing Cole would hear him.

            "Cole is," Cole replied.  "When the other took over, it jump started my vocal cords, so I can talk now," he replied quietly.

            "This is a bad business we are in," Vincent commented as he looked at the electronic map on the dashboard directing him where to go.  "These kids don't deserve this kind of a life," he added under his breath.

            "We need to get on a secure communication with the others in New York and find out what is going on here," Cole said as he watched the buildings pass by.   

            "There's the place," Vincent said as a garage door of a warehouse opened as the car drew close and pulled in.  Vincent stopped the car in front of a large concrete wall as the door closed behind them.  He shut off the car and climbed out to look at the building.  "Is this a joke?  There's nothing here but a giant slab of concrete," Vincent said angrily as he looked around the dusty warehouse.

            "Take it easy Valentine.  You need to read the papers before jumping to conclusions," Cole quieted him as they noticed the kids waking up.  "Blue button," Cole explained as he tossed Vincent a small remote control.

            Vincent grabbed it in midair and pushed the blue button.  Immediately the building came to life as the overhead lights turned on slowly.  At the same time the concrete 'wall' slid into the ground to reveal a small building about half the size of the warehouse (the size of a doublewide).  "Time to find out what is going on," he said as he tossed the remote back to Cole and entered the building.

            When he entered he saw that the place was divided into three areas.  The furthest away appeared to be a sleeping area full of cots from what he saw through the open door.  The area he was in was open, but had a distinction between the kitchen area and the other area that was full of computers, television sets, and other electronics.  

            "Yo, Vincent, get over here," he heard the noise from a television with a camera mounted on top of it.  "Turn the set on so you can see me," the voice ordered as Vincent recognized it as Murphy's.  "There ya go, what took so long?" Murphy joked as Vincent saw him sitting in a similar room.

            "Had to swing through Maine.  Is this a secure communication?" Vincent asked as he noticed Elena in the background going over several stacks of papers.

            "Uhh, lemme see," Murphy said.  "Elena!  This a secure communication or what?" he shouted as Cole walked by behind Vincent towards the kitchen.  

            Elena looked up from the papers and stared a pair of daggers at Murphy.  "Yes, now go make yourself scarce," she ordered before walking over as Murphy vacated the seat.  "These are all Starmore's old communication systems, so as near as I can figure from the papers and schematics I found here, everything we say on this should stay between us, it's a narrow beam satellite transmission using a hundred different encoding mechanisms at once," she stopped as Vincent cut her off.

            "You had me at yes.  How many do you have there?" Vincent asked as Cole poked around the refrigerator and the four teens uneasily made their way into the strange building.  "Cole and I have four of Xavier's kids."

            "I got Creed and Gambit out of Magneto's place and Murphy and Lance picked up Pietro and Todd, so that gives us a lucky thirteen by my count," Elena explained.  "What happened out there, we saw smoke and heard all kinds of stories," Elena demanded to know.

            "Let's say I had a relapse," Cole said as he walked by with a bottle of Captain Morgan in hand.

            "Vincent, what happened to him?  Did he kill the soldiers?" Elena asked quickly as Murphy looked on from the background with a worried expression.

            "When they shot him with the darts that knock out powers, his other personality took charge.  I don't think he killed anyone though, he was too busy getting the kids out of there," Vincent calmed the two of them.  "I've been driving for the past nine hours, fill me in on what is going on," he ordered.

            "Take it easy Vincent, this is what was played over a State of the Union speech by the president a few hours ago," Elena said as she pressed a button and here image was replaced by that of the president.

            "My fellow Americans, several events have occurred earlier today that need explained.  We received intelligence two days ago concerning several mutant terrorist training facilities in Bayville New York.  Our forces moved in and captured many of the terrorists, but some escaped," he continued as pictured of all the missing kids and Sabertooth popped up.  "We are happy to say that none of our forces were killed in the action, but saddened as the new branch of the Avengers, the Turks, who have been hiding the terrorists for some time, took it upon themselves to resists arrest and aid in their escape," he added as blurry pictures of the five Turks popped up in their suits and sunglasses.

            "There will be a fifty thousand dollar reward for information leading to the capture of any of these fugitives.  The United States will not tolerate terrorism within its borders.  We invite the fugitives to surrender to the closest police station and you will not be harmed.  I urge all of America to be strong and we will overcome this incident.  Thank you," he finished as the tape ended. 

            "They have pictures, descriptions, and names of everyone except for me and the twins.  Well, Damon too, but we have no way to know where he is, but since they are looking for him, it is a safe be that he is free with Logan," Elena explained.  "They came on later saying that no one died in the battles, so I guess all the kids are okay wherever they were taken," Elena added as she yawned.

            "Great, just great," Vincent muttered as he considered the situation.  "Get some sleep, I need to talk to someone tonight.  I'll contact you in the morning with plans," Vincent said as he turned off the television and moved to another transmitting device that he recognized and began to fiddle with the controls.

            "So what do we do now?" Kurt asked as he stood uneasily by Rogue and Scott.  He noted that Vincent was busy playing with some kind of transmitted and stared at Cole who was sitting back in a chair with his rapidly empting bottle of alcohol.  "You sure you should be drinking that stuff?"

            "Cram it elf," Cole replied coldly.  "There are some beds back there, go nuts," he added before taking another drink and closing his eyes.  He heard Kurt walk away, but knew that the others were still there.  "What the hell do you two want?"

            "What happened to you back there?" Scott asked him.

            "My power is there to keep my other, more aggressive personality in check.  Nothing more to it," he explained.  "Now leave me alone," he threatened.  He listened as Scott stomped away in anger, but sensed that Rogue was still there.  "Damn it girl, what the fuck do you want?" he swore before getting to his feet and looking her in the eyes.

            "What happened last night?" she asked quietly, in fear of the new Cole she saw before her.

            "Nothing, now leave me alone.  I'm not the person that you thought you knew.  No one knows the real me," he answered before walking over to where Vincent had finally raised a communication with someone.

            Vincent looked at the screen as Captain America came into view.  "Vincent, what happened out there?"

            "We got attacked by marines, they took most of the children," Vincent answered.  "Why did this happen?"

            "I don't know, we'll find out what is going on in the morning, this has got to be some sort of misunderstanding.  I am going to D.C. to talk to the president tomorrow.  I will fix this mess," Captain America assured him.

            "Try to find if they killed any of the kids in their attacks.  I need you to deliver a message in the case that this is not a misunderstanding," Vincent explained. "Tell him that we will not be hunted as animals.  Tell him we will find where he took the others.  Warn him not to come after us, if he does, I don't know what will happen," Vincent sighed.

            "I can tell you what will happen," Cole said as he walked in behind Vincent.  "I will kill every last soldier that tries to take me in.  And if anyone has died, I will kill a thousand soldiers for each death," he threatened before walking away again to turn in for the night.

            "I'll contact you through  the Avenger's Mansion's communications tomorrow afternoon.  Hopefully we can sort this out peacefully," Vincent finished before shutting down the transmitter and heading to the refrigerator to make with a Cole impression.


	68. Canto 8 : The Mutant Underground : Verse...

**_The Song of Eternity_**

****

**_Canto 8_**

****

**_The Mutant Underground_**

****

**_Verse 4_**

****

**_The Trial of the Mutants_**

****

**_Still free,_**

**_They watch the future unfold,_**

**_As some captives make their case._**

****

            The day after arriving in the safe houses was relatively uneventful.  In New York, Remy, Elena, Creed, Murphy, Pietro, Lance, and Todd were busy looking through the various systems that Starmore left, trying to figure out all the electronics.  In Boston Vincent woke up early and spent the day watching the news and waiting for Captain America to check back in with him.  Scott, Rogue, Jamie, and Kurt played around with the electronics, eventually making contact with the others in Boston.  All involved parties in Boston tried their best to stay out of Cole's way as he busied himself in trying to drink his way through the kitchen.

            Vincent watched the television as a reporter showed soldiers still trying to enter his house in Bayville, but having no success.  "Vincent, can we have a word with you?" Scott asked quietly.

            "Sure," Vincent replied as he blinked his eyes and muted the television.  "Shoot."

            "Well, it's about Cole," Scott said as he, and Rogue glanced back to the kitchen where Jamie and Kurt were watching Cole from a distance.  "You know what is going on with him, mind filling us in," Scott stated.

            "He and Murphy said they have no memory of their past, but its easy to see they're lying," Rogue added.  "And he just flipped out the night before all this happened and flew off, what's the matter with him?"

            "Since you are in the same boat as us here, here's the real deal," Vincent started as he check to make sure Cole was in the other room.  "He and his brother lived other lives before coming to Bayville.  On another world really," he mused as he picked his words carefully.  "Murphy came out fine, but Cole has problems.  He started out a normal, well-adjusted kid.  On his world he was forced to do things that he would rather not talk about," he explained as he let the significance sink in.  "The thing is, he just shut a part of his mind off after he started doing them, keeping his relatively normal self apart from the side that did the things he did there.  So now we have Cole and his other self, who is kept in check by his void field," Vincent continued.  "Cole thought his other self was gone for good after coming to Bayville, but when his powers were negated, the old self resurfaced, which is forcing Cole to go through the past he buried," Vincent finished.

            "Maybe we should make him talk about it, instead of him drinking everything," Scott suggested.

            "Make him?  Feel free to try," Vincent laughed.  "I'd much rather let him sort it out himself."

            "But he's having a nervous breakdown or something.  He needs help," Rogue protested.

            "I know that, but it is something we cannot give him right now," Vincent countered angrily.  "Try to talk to him if you want, but the reason he was seeing Xavier was because I could not get through to him, even before he knew his other self was still around," Vincent explained.  "Leave him alone if he gets angry, he's capable and liable to kill you," Vincent finished.

            An hour and one passed out Cole later, Vincent received a transmission from Captain America.  "I assume turning yourself in is out of the question?" Captain America asked him after a bit.  "Okay then, here's what I need you to do tomorrow," he explained what would happen tomorrow to Vincent.

            At eight in the morning the world went live to video from inside Congress's chambers.  The place was packed full of cameras from all the major networks along with the President himself and half a dozen marines within arm's length.  The crowd of politicians grew silent as three 'guests' entered the building, one in a wheelchair, and two others in shackles with armed escort.  Xavier, Magneto, and Mystique were seated in the front row and injected with fresh shots of the power neutralization agent.

            "This is a special meeting of the United States government to examine the events of the past few days," the President began.  "To speak on behalf of the involved parties are General Ross and Colonel Stone of the USMC.  Charles Xavier, Eric Lensherr, and Raven Darkholme are here to speak on their own behalf as is Vincent Valentine of the Turks from an undisclosed location via satellite," the President introduced everyone as a large television screen flipped on to show Vincent sipping a cup of coffee.

            "By now all involved parties have been briefed on the reason of the actions taken by the marines, that being the evidence of mutant terrorist groups in Bayville," the President began as Ross and Stone presented evidence of the past actions of the mutants is Bayville, deeming them a threat.  Ross then explained that the night before the raid they had received a threat from someone claiming to be a mutant in one of the schools saying that they were going to attack a public place, which forced the marines into action.

            "We feel the need to point out that no one we captured was hurt or killed and that the actions by Valentine and his Turks, aiding in the escape of several children, have justified our reasoning that they are a threat to national security," Stone finished.

            "I think I need to add that they showed up at my house with a tank and ordered my surrender and that we did not kill anyone either," Vincent replied dryly.  "When I held off Mr. Stone I made sure I only clipped his soldiers' legs and as we escaped the Xavier institute, we could have easily killed many of your soldiers, but didn't.  In fact, the only ones that really stood a chance against their men were us, not the children, they didn't fight back much, they couldn't," Vincent stated.

            "Why couldn't they fight back, if they were so dangerous?" the President asked Stone and Ross.

            "We developed an experimental drug that can temporarily negate mutant powers.  If we had not used it, I have no doubt there would have been fatalities," Stone replied.

            "So you injected experimental drugs into children.  Into your own citizens," Vincent snorted.  "And you really don't know that the kids would have killed your men.  Maybe they would have done what was needed to flee instead, as the rest of us did," Vincent pointed out.  "I must add that the use of this drug on one of my Turks has inadvertently caused him to begin a mental breakdown, due to its causing the emergence of other personalities which were subdued by his powers," Vincent finished.

            "If we can have some order in the room," the President broke in irritably.  "The use of experimental drugs on US citizens, who are innocent until proven guilty, is something that will be brought up at a later time.  The involved parties will be held accountable," the President looked at the two marines.  "This meeting is to give you all a chance to explain yourselves, where you come from, what your intentions are, etc.  Mr. Valentine, since you are the most enigmatic of this bunch, I would like you to go first," the President began as he opened a thin manila folder.  "Most importantly, I would like to know why it seems you did not even exist until right around the time when Galactus was destroyed."

            "That information is not something that should be divulged at this or any time," a voice boomed as a man in a trench coat and hat spoke up from the back of the room.  He removed his hat and coat to reveal himself as Captain America.  "If the word of the Avengers is not good enough, then I don't know what is," he added.  "Vincent Valentine was crucial in defeating Galactus and saving this planet.  You'll have to trust me when I say you can't handle the truth of his past though," he finished.

            "Well, moving on," the President responded as Vincent chuckled.  "What of your team, the Turks?  Are any of them mutants?"

            "Only one, a boy whose only power is to negate other powers," Vincent responded.  "He is not a threat to anyone because of his mutant powers," Vincent added.

            "This boy single-handedly battled nearly two dozen marines to a standstill, how can you say he is not a threat?" Ross asked Vincent.

            "Because he has no real mutant power.  You might as well lock me up then, I could have very well done the same thing." Captain America added from the back of the room.

            "What about the allegations of terrorist actions?" the President asked before the situation got more out of hand.  

            "You got an anonymous phone call.  You also received anonymous files on all of the children, detailing their powers and such, months ago.  I know because I entered your computer system last night to find out how exactly you knew how to stop them so well considering their incredible powers.  It is a set up if I've ever seen one, especially since two individuals that work with us went missing shortly before this began and we have been unable to locate them," Vincent finished.  "I need to go take care of the kids I have with me now.  You may want to call off the search for us, some of our charges are going to be less reluctant about the injuring, killing, and maiming of potential captors from here on out," Vincent said coldly before cutting off the transmission.

            Later that night Vincent went outside the warehouse where Scott, Kurt, Rogue, and a few Jamies were tossing a frisbee around.  "So how's it looking?  I really couldn't stand watching that anymore," Scott explained.

            "I think they're making their point quite well," Vincent replied.  "Xavier's talk of peaceful coexistence, along with Magneto's ranting about how this could very easily become like the situation with the Jews in World War 2, seemed to work the crowd over decently.  For her part Mystique cleaned up her philosophy of messing with the X-Men to something more along the lines of using your powers to better yourself.  If anything can convince them it will be because of Xavier and Magneto," Vincent continued.  "Where's Cole?"

            "Jamie, come here," Scott called to the boy.  One of the half dozen Jamies came over after throwing the frisbee to another one of himself.  "Where's Cole?" Scott asked.

            "Still inside drinking, one of my dupes has been watching him all day," Jamie replied.

            "Call off the dupe, I need to go speak with him in private," Vincent ordered.  "Stay out here, all of you," he told Scott and the others who had wandered over to the conversation.  Vincent walked past the duplicate that was watching Cole on his way into the warehouse and continued on until he met up with Cole in the kitchen.  Vincent leaned on the counter beside Cole and let out a sigh.  

            "What the hell do you want?" Cole asked him with a bit of slurred speech.

            "You to stay sober and alert, but I'll settle for a little talk," Vincent replied.  Cole snorted and shook his head in disbelief.  "How are you doing?"

            "What kind of a stupid question is that?  You know what I feel like, now quit playing around and ask what you really want to know," Cole demanded angrily.

            "Fair enough, will you be here when we need you?" Vincent asked as he looked at the teen.

            "Yes, now just let me do what I have to do," Cole replied after a bit of silence.

            "Want me to tell the kids to leave you alone?" Vincent asked as Cole finished off the last of his bottle.

            "Don't worry about it, I can handle them.  They wouldn't leave me alone if you told them to anyway," Cole laughed.  "I'm gonna head out to a bar tomorrow around noon, just call if you need me, otherwise I'll call when I need picked up," Cole finished as he walked off toward the cots.  "You might want to check out this equipment more, see if there's a quicker way for us to get back together with the New York group," Cole shouted as he disappeared into the darkness.


	69. Canto 8 : The Mutant Underground : Verse...

**_The Song of Eternity_**

****

**_Canto 8_**

****

**_The Mutant Underground_**

****

**_Verse 5_**

****

**_The Gathering_**

****

**_By the power of ancient magic,_**

**_The free gather._**

**_Talk continues with all involved,_**

**_Revealing several secrets._**

****

            Vincent awoke around nine and continued looking through the documents and machines left by Starmore in the safe house.  By three he finally found what he was looking for.  He brought up a video link to Elena in New York and hurriedly began to explain.  "I found something interesting, go to the computer and pull up a file called bodyslide," Vincent explained.

            Elena followed his instructions and rapidly read over the file.  "Very interesting, he must have had a lot of free time on his hands to make this machine," Elena commented.  "Only a few people on the planet could use it correctly, he probably made it for you," she added.

            "Most likely, now gather your people and get up here," Vincent ordered before ending the communication.

            "Whatever you say boss," Elena grumbled as she looked around the safe house and spotted Creed and Murphy watching TV.  "Murph, gather Remy, Lance, and the others," she shouted across the room.  "Creed, get over here and help me," she continued as she ordered a disgruntled Sabertooth around. 

            "I'm getting awful tired of being bossed around by you lady," he growled as he followed her into the kitchen.  "You should learn to be more careful around me, I'm a killer," he added.

            "Good for you, now move the refrigerator, it should swing out this way," she said as she pointed along the floor.

            Creed growled in response and pulled the refrigerator back from the wall, revealing a control panel.  "Why aren't you or the kid afraid of me?" he asked as Elena walked to the screen.

            "Why should we fear you?" she asked as she began to press several buttons on the panel.

            "I told you, I'm a killer.  All the others kids fear me, even Xavier and his teachers do," Creed explained.

            "Just because you have killed?  Not a very good reason to fear someone," Elena pointed out.  "Anyone can kill.  I have killed, Murphy has killed, Vincent has killed, all of we Turks have killed.  But now we are trying to make up for our past actions by protecting your sorry lives," she finished as she pressed a red button and a hole opened in the wall.

            "What's going on Elena?" Murphy asked as he entered the kitchen with Lance, Remy, Todd, and Pietro close behind him.

            "See the circle on the floor," she asked as everyone else looked down.

            "That wasn't there yesterday," Murphy said as he scratched his head.

            "We are all going to get inside it, then you and I are going to pump mana into that hole in the wall," Elena explained to Murphy.  "And if all goes well, we will end up in Boston," she finished.

            "A teleportation device?" Lance said in disbelief.

            "More or less, Starmore made it for Valentine.  It's powered by mana, so only a few people could ever hope to use it, now let's get going," Elena said as she waited for the others to gather in the circle.  "Okay Murphy, here goes nothing," she said once she joined the others.  She and Murphy then began to cast spells, but at the last second the magic was sucked into the hole in the wall.  Elena closed her eyes tight as her vision was filled with a bright white light, temporarily blinding her.

            "Good to see you all are well," she heard Vincent's voice as she blinked away her temporary blindness.  "Come on into the main room and we'll figure out just what it is we are going to do," he said as Elena and the others stumbled around for a few seconds.  After a minute Elena, Murphy, Lance, Pietro, Todd, Remy, Creed, Vincent, Scott, Jamie, and Kurt assembled in the main room and exchanged hurried greetings.  Vincent coughed, causing the others to grow silent.  "Here is the situation as good as I can guess it," he began.  "Three days ago the military raided out various houses in a strategic fashion, incapacitating and capturing many of our various groups.  From what Scott tells me, they had knowledge of everyone's powers at Xavier's school and had an advanced psychic shielding, rendering Xavier useless in the battle.  How does this match up to what you people experienced?"

            "They had no metal weapons when they attacked us," Creed growled.  "They took Erik out quickly, and were prepared for the rest of us, they even knew our names," he finished.

            "Same thing at our place, Mystique couldn't even sneak past them," Pietro confirmed.

            "What we need to know is how they knew everything about us.  Any suggestions?" he asked the group before him.

            After a bit of silence Creed erupted.  "Who cares, we should just go and free Erik and the others in Washington then find the others," he growled.  "We have all the advanced technology that Starmore left you, just break out the weapons and let's take them by force Valentine," he snarled at Vincent.

            "The thought has crossed my mind, but your secret is out, nothing will change that.  It's best to just ride this out as peacefully as possible," Vincent replied. 

            "Speaking of Starmore, he knew all about us before the fight with Galactus, maybe he had some files and they got stolen from another safe house," Todd suggested.

            The group sat in stunned silence for a bit before Kurt spoke in his heavy accent.  "How in ze hell did he just say something intelligent?"

            Vincent whirled around to the computer and began typing.  "Here are the files on all of you," he said as images of nearly a hundred mutants flashed across the screen.  "But the safe houses..," he muttered as he continued to type.  

            "Move it Valentine," Elena said roughly as she pushed him from his seat and took his place.  "This is my specialty," she mused as her fingers flew over the keys until a world map popped up.  "Here we have over a hundred safe houses across the globe, all with intact security systems over the past twenty years," she explained as she took in the information.  "Up until the day after Galactus and Starmore died.  The day after they died, two safe houses went offline from the others, one in China and one in Egypt," she finished.  "Whoever raided them probably has the same files and technology we have."

            "But we have no idea who, so our first priority should be to watch out for each other and locate where they took the others," Scott added.

            "Speaking of others, where are Cole and Rogue?" Murphy asked.

            "Cole has been drunk since arriving and went to a bar earlier today." Vincent replied.  "Rogue was worried, so I sent her to find him so he can locate the others," Vincent explained.

            "Great, just great…  I'm gonna go find them, assuming there isn't a police siren to lead me," Murphy said before he stormed angrily from the room.

            Rogue walked into her third bar, looking for the familiar shape of Cole and breathed a sigh of relief when she spotted him in a booth watching the television above the bar.  She walked over and took a seat across from him in the booth.  "What the hell do you want?" he swore as he took a drink from a bottle of vodka.  "I thought I told you kids not to bother me."

            "I was worried and Vincent needs your help," Rogue replied as she glanced at the television to see the senate debates going on.  "How is it going in Washington?"

            "A stalemate, they'll never get anything done," Cole replied.  "What does he want?  To know where the others are?"

            "Yeah," Rogue replied.

            "I told him I'd help him when I was needed, he could have called me to ask.  He sent you here to try to get through to me," Cole laughed.  

            "What's so funny?" Rogue asked as Cole continued to drink.

            "You don't even know me…  None of you do," he whispered.  

            "We would like to, but you've never given us a chance.  Come on, we need to get back, it isn't safe here," she whispered as the television flashed several pictures of her and the others who were on the loose.  "They'll call the police," she whispered as the bartender and several old men at the bar looked their way.

            "No they won't," Cole replied as he got up and walked to the bar and took a seat between a pair of old men.  "I don't need you people Rogue, I can handle myself.  Not all humans are afraid of our kind," Cole continued.  "Take these men here, all veterans of World War 2, loyal to the United States.  Why aren't they calling the police or running away?" he asked.

            "Because our battalion was saved by a mutant when we stormed the beaches at Normandy.  He was one of our own.  You are okay by us, he's explained what happened," one of the men explained.  "We have the warehouse district covered too, no one is going to mess with you if we have a say about it."

            "See Rogue, the world isn't so crappy after all," Cole continued as he walked back to his booth.  "Xavier and Magneto are even making some good points, equating what is happening to the Holocaust.  They might get all of you out of this legally," he explained.  "But I doubt it, human nature is violent.  This will not end peacefully," he said as he gazed off into space.

            "Okay then why are you here drinking instead of helping the situation?  Don't give me any of that spit personality crap either, tell me what happened when you flew off that night," Rogue demanded as she took the bottle from him.

            "You tell me what the meaning of life is first," he demanded as he grabbed the bottle back from her.  "Tell me, why am I here?"

            Rogue looked into his angry eyes as he stared back at her before looking back at his bottle as he drank it.  "To touch the lives of those you meet and to live a good life," she stated a matter of factly.

            Cole chuckled a bit.  "Oh, I've touched lives," he muttered.  

            "What happened that night Cole?" she asked as she grabbed a hold of his hand.

            "I hoped for something that was not meant to be and tried to kill myself," he said coldly.  "I drank a bottle, such as this, and overdosed on sleeping pills.  I would be dead now if not for Alvers alerting Murph and Valentine to my situation," he finished as Rogue withdrew her hand and just stared at him.  "Speak of the devil," Cole muttered as the door opened and Murph walked in.

            "Hey, how's it going here?" he asked seriously as he sat down by Rogue.

            "How did you get here?" Rogue asked.

            "Starmore left us some technology that can let us teleport from safe house to safe house," Murphy explained.  "We figured out that two of his safe houses were captured following his death, which explains how the military knew about all of you, but we still do not know who told them," Murphy added.  

            "So everything is Starmore's fault," Cole muttered.

            "In a way, yes.  But we need to go track down the others.  C'mon, time to get you out of here," Murphy ordered as he tried to get Cole up.  

            "Go away, I already found them.  Well, mostly," Cole said as he refused to get up.  "The three of them are in Washington and the others are all in a secret facility in upstate New York, it is listed as a water treatment facility.  There are a few problems though, I cannot locate Wanda, John, or Logan and Damon for that matter," he added with a frown.

            "What's that mean?  If you cannot find them?" Rogue asked.

            "They're either dead or being hidden by something powerful," Murphy explained.  "Are you coming or not?" he asked Cole who refused to get up.        

            "No, I will come back later," Cole replied coldly.  

            "I'll call Vincent and let him know what is going on, but I'm not gonna leave you here," Murphy said as he pulled out a cell phone.  

            "Me either, unless you tell me why you tried to kill yourself," Rogue added.

            "Then make yourselves comfortable."


	70. Canto 8 : The Mutant Underground : Verse...

**_The Song of Eternity_**

****

**_Canto 8_**

****

**_The Mutant Underground_**

****

**_Verse 6_**

****

**_Confrontation_**

****

**_Darkness begins to sweep the land,_**

**_The ones they hate come to save them,_**

**_The future begins,_**

**_As the mighty fall._**__****

****

            Vincent woke up and stepped quietly over sleeping bodies until he got the kitchen and made himself a cup of coffee.  He sipped on it as he stepped out the door.  He noticed Creed leaning up against the wall watching something.  His eyes followed Creed's gaze to the figure meditating in a small patch of grass.  "How long's he been like that?"

            "Since midnight or so, hasn't moved more than a few inches since then," Creed replied as they stared at Cole.  "What do you think he's doing?"

            "Probably contemplating the future," Vincent mused as he drank his coffee.  "A good thing to do in times such as these.  At least he isn't drinking," he joked.  

            "He doesn't need to, from what his brother said when they brought him back, he drank enough that he's still sloshed now," Creed commented.  "His hair has been growing too, about five inches overnight.  How is he doing it?"

            "He's using a regeneration spell, it speeds up cell division," Vincent explained as Cole got up and walked over to Creed and Vincent.  "Good morning Cole," Vincent greeted him.

            "Really?  Is it?" Cole asked as he squinted at the sun.  

            "What were you doing all night?" Vincent asked him.

            "Trying to get a feel for the world," Cole replied.  "Even as bad as things are now, I have a feeling they will get worse before the day is over," Cole explained as he rubbed his forehead.

            "Awfully pessimistic there kid," Creed commented.

            "We'll see," Cole replied before heading into the building.

            Vincent sipped his coffee as he watched Creed's eyes follow Cole into the building.  "That kid creeps me out," Creed commented to Vincent.

            "He does have that effect on people," Vincent replied before staring up at the sun himself.  "Wonder if he is right though," he whispered to himself.

            Elena rolled over as the sun hit her eyes.  "Too early," she groaned as her pillow started to shake by itself.  She grabbed under her pillow and pulled out her phone.  "Elena here," she answered as she sat up in the cot.  

            "Why isn't Vincent answering his phone?" came the voice.

            "Ummm, he appears to have gone outside and left it in here," she answered as she poked her head out the door.  "Who's this?"

            "Captain America," he answered.  "They're requesting his presence today, so get him on the satellite communication device," Captain America explained.

            ""Gimme a second," Elena replied as she walked outside and got Vincent's attention.  "They want you on the sat-com," she explained as she covered the phone.

            Vincent thought for a second then spoke.  "Tell them I will arrive in ten minutes and for them not to shoot me when I show up," he ordered as he tossed out the rest of his coffee and went back inside.

            Creed, Cole, and Elena stood alone in the kitchen talking in hushed tones.  "This ain't a good idea," Creed protested as he moved the refrigerator so Elena could get to the control panel.  "If he drops in there, they will not let him leave.  They'll catch him or kill him," Creed grunted as he finished moving the refrigerator.

            "Who?  Who's going where?" Scott asked as he and Rogue emerged from the sleeping chambers rubbing the sleep from their eyes.  

            "Vincent, Washington, to meet with the President and Senate," Elena explained quickly.

            "Is that smart?  What if they take him prisoner?" Rogue asked.

            "Not gonna happen," Vincent answered as he straightened his tie and blue Turk suit.  "First problem is that Elena figured out how to use the transporter to grab me and bring me back here if trouble starts.  Second problem is that I have this," he explained as he stuck the Agememnon in the back of his pants.  "Besides, this is our best chance to get out of this situation peacefully," he finished as he stepped into the circle on the floor.  "Now turn on the television and keep it down, we don't want to wake the others," he ordered as Elena finished putting in the coordinates.

            Murphy opened his eyes from his spot on the couch when Cole turned on the television a few feet in front of him.  He saw the familiar footage from the Senate, but blinked as a flash filled the screen as Vincent appeared between the President's podium and where Xavier, Magneto, and Mystique were sitting.  "What in the blue blazes?" he muttered as he got into a sitting position and was joined by Scott and the others who were awake.

            Vincent opened his eyes after he felt the transportation stop.  His vision quickly cleared and he assessed his position.  A guard rushed at him brandishing a tazer, but Vincent kicked it from his hand, then swept the man's legs out from under him.  "I am here as an act of goodwill, but if you do not call off your people, I will leave," Vincent said loudly.

            "Let him be," the President ordered.  "Take a seat Mr. Valentine," he offered.

            "I will stand," Vincent declined.  "We've found out that none of the children were killed in your reckless attack, so I will give you the benefit of the doubt regarding the attack on myself just now," he added as he stared at the president.

            "Very well Mr. Valentine.  What we want to talk to you about is the effectiveness of your group, the Turks in dealing with dangerous mutants," the President began.  "Under the circumstances and support given to the mutants, we are eager to hear your take on the situation."

            "My take?  You mean you want me to tell you whether or not we can deal with whatever threat they pose," Vincent said coldly.  "We are fully able to deal with any threat, mutant or otherwise," he added.  "My 'take' is that these are a bunch of scared kids who were learning to accept what they were until you people barged in and attacked them.  They aren't any more dangerous than the rest of you.  It is you that fear them when all they want to do is be normal."

            "You say that they are no more dangerous than you or I, but some of them can create destructive beams from their eyes and control fire or ice," Colonel Stone broke in.

            "And any normal person could pick up a gun and start blowing people away, but these kids have done nothing wrong, they have killed no one and have even stopped an escapee from one of your maximum security prisons," Vincent responded.  "And for the record, I said they are no more dangerous than you.  I am far more dangerous than they are," Vincent said as he glanced at Stone.  "No one seemed to have a problem when we all helped the Avengers defeat Galactus," he finished.

            "It is my recommendation then, that the children be freed and the Turks reinstated to control the situation in Bayville.  After hearing all the information, I can find no just reason to keep them held against their will," the President said as a murmur rose in the crowd.  "All that is left is for the Senate to vote on it here and now, so we can work on recovering from this situation," he concluded.  

            The murmuring continued in the crowd as Vincent pulled out his phone and called Elena.  "What do you think?" he asked when she picked up.

            "I do not know, whatever happens will be interesting though," she responded as she watched the television nervously with the others.  

            "Yes, it will…," Vincent muttered as he suddenly jerked around to face the large double door entrance to the chamber.  "Elena, get down here now," he ordered as he hung up the phone.  "Get down!" he shouted over the crowd of people a second before the door shook from an explosion and fell inward.

            "Shit, get to the transport!" Elena shouted as Cole, Murphy and the others ran over to the kitchen.  "Murph, stay here so you can get us out of there," she ordered as she grabbed her pistol from a nearby table.  "Cole, Creed, get guns," she ordered as she and Murphy put the transport coordinates in.

            "Here, this is Valentine's sniper rifle," Cole said as he tossed Creed the rifle Vincent had used when the house was attacked.  At the same time he grabbed his pulse pistols and reached the circle with Scott, Rogue, Creed, and Elena.

            "Go Murph, get us out of here," Elena shouted as the white light covered them.

            Politicians dove for cover as the smoke around the door cleared and close to a dozen figures entered.  "We are the Dark Riders, sent by Lord Apocalypse to judge if you are fit to survive or not.  Failure is death!" one shouted as he shot beams of energy from his hands at Vincent and the President.  The energy blasts disappeared as another flash of light appeared where Vincent arrived earlier.

            "Not so fast," Elena said as she drew her gun.  Rogue and Scott were busy helping Cole to his feet.  "What are you going to do without your powers?"

            "You are referring to the anomaly known as Void," the leader responded.  "Let us see if his power can stop bullets," he taunted before four of them revealed machine guns and opened fire.

            Things happened simultaneously as the Dark Riders fired at Vincent and the others.  The President was rushed to the back of the building away from danger by his secret service agents.  Magneto, Xavier, and Mystique were pulled to the ground by Creed and Elena.  Cole pushed Rogue and Scott down as his white wings ripped through his back and expanded to cover everyone's movements so the Dark Riders could not get a clear shot.  After a second of shooting Vincent got a barrier up just to his side of Cole's wings, giving the effect that the bullets were still getting through to those hiding after they initially ripped through his wings.

            As soon as the firing stopped Vincent, Elena, and Creed instinctively fired back at the Dark Riders through the gaping bloody holes of Cole's wings as he stayed on his feet and slowly pulled his guns out, but dropped them as his fingers refused to hold on.  "Blast them," he told Scott and Rogue as he fell to the ground and his wings moved, revealing their position.

            By then Creed, Vincent, and Elena had taken out a few with expertly placed shots while Colonel Stone fired with his pistol from his relatively safe position.  Vincent felt the void field retreat back to Cole a second before he heard, felt, and saw Scott and Rogue blast the Riders back through the doorway with a pair of matching optic blasts.  In reality, it took no more than twenty seconds.  

            The room was silent afterwards until Cole whispered to himself.  "Xavier," he muttered as he got to his feet and shuffled toward the door where the Riders were blasted out of.  

            "Professor?" Scott questioned as he looked for his teacher, only to spot him in Magneto's arms.  "Professor!" he shouted as he scrambled over to where Magneto was frantically examining a wound to Xavier's heart area.

            "Scott, Erik, I have something to ask of you," Xavier whispered as blood bubbled from his wound.  "Do not let the dream die, for my sake," he finished before he went limp.  

            "Charles?" Magneto whispered.

            "Professor…," Scott mumbled as Xavier passed away.

            Cole and Creed heard none of it as they stormed out the door after the Dark Riders, but both knew what had happened. Creed smelled the blood and Cole felt Xavier's mutant signature fade away.  Creed got there first as one of the living Riders was getting to his feet.  His eyes opened wide as Creed began to rip him apart with his claws.  

            Cole reached into the pile and pulled out another who was alive and held him in front of him.  "Why?" he asked harshly.

            "Only the strong shall survive, it is lord Apocalypse's will," the mutant muttered.  

            "I guess that makes you weak," Cole said coldly as he grabbed the mutant's head and snapped his neck.  He dropped the body and stared down at the pile of body as Creed pulled another live one out and ripped the head from the body in a fit of animalistic fury.  "That was the last one," he commented as Creed sniffed the pile for a new target.

            Vincent desperately tried to revive Xavier as Stone and Elena helped him.  "Damn it!" he shouted as he punched the floor, unable to revive Xavier with his magic.  "This is all your damn fault," he said as he struck Stone, sending him sprawling back.  "I should kill you right now," he said as he pointed the Agememnon at the frightened colonel.  "What the hell do you want!" he shouted into his phone as it rang.

            "All hell is breaking loose up north where the others are, some other group is attacking the military base," Murphy explained.  "Get your asses together, I'm gonna zap you there then the rest of us will join you," he said as Vincent's eyes narrowed.

            "Time to go everyone!" he shouted as Creed and Cole reentered the room.  "You are coming with us Stone," he said as he holstered his gun.  "The base where the others are being kept is under attack, we are going there to defeat the attackers and retrieve our friends before something like this happens up there," he explained as he dragged Stone with him.  "Gather around folks, there is nothing else we can do here," he ordered as Elena and Magneto pulled Scott away from Xavier's corpse.


	71. anto 8 : The Mutant Underground : Verse ...

**_The Song of Eternity_**

****

**_Canto 8_**

****

**_The Mutant Underground_**

****

**_Verse 7_**

****

**_The Future_**

****

**_The darkness and light converge,_**

**_With the fall of the king,_**

**_Inhibitions are lost,_**

**_They are not children anymore._**

****

            When his vision cleared Vincent and the others were on a hilltop overlooking a military installation.  He could hear alarms and gunfire going off and turned to check on the others.  Cole had fallen to the ground and was pulling his wings back into his body.  Elena, Stone, and Creed were looking down the hill at the installation.

            "The professor…," Rogue whispered with tears in her eyes.  "Is he dead?"

            "Yes," Vincent replied as he waited impatiently for the others to arrive.  

            "You can bring him back, right?" Scott asked.  "I've seen you use that revive spell," he said as he looked at Vincent.

            "That's not how it works.  It can only bring one back so far.  He was too far gone," Vincent explained.  

            "Those Dark Riders killed him," Magneto said coldly.  "And all this time I figured it would be the humans that would get us.  Our own kind did this," he said quietly.

            "We're here," Murphy's voice broke in as he arrived with Gambit, Avalanche, Kurt, Pietro, Jamie, and Todd.  "Where's Xavier?" he asked as he handed out the energy rifles that he and the others were carrying.

            "He did not survive the attack," Cole explained as the last of his wings disappeared and he unsteadily got to his feet.  He took the rifle from his dumbfounded twin and glanced down at the base.  "I suggest we hurry, they are getting closer to the ones they captured," he said as he headed down the hill.

            "The professor is dead?" Jamie asked in disbelief.

            "Yes," Scott nodded.  "We need to go help them now," he added.  "We can still save them," he said to himself as he headed after Cole.  

            "I require a weapon.  Unfortunately my powers are still negated," Magneto told Murphy.  

            "Fine," Murphy said as he tossed him his own rifle.  "I don't need it," he said before he skidded down the hill after his brother.  "Hurry it up Valentine!" he shouted over his shoulder.

            Vincent looked up from his conversation with Creed, Stone and Elena.  "Time to go people.  You kids try to stick together with Magneto.  The men you are fighting are killers, do not hesitate to use lethal force," he ordered.  "Do your best to keep away from Cole if you can, you don't want to get caught in his void field.  Stone, you better let those soldiers know we're on their side once we get down there," he added as he took off down the hill and pulled out the _Agememnon_.

Scott and Rogue followed closely behind Cole, despite his silence and Vincent's warnings.  "You two should get somewhere else.  You won't be safe near me," Cole said as the three of them reached a chain link fence.  "You mind?" he asked Scott, who blasted a hole in the fence when Cole withdrew his void field.

            "We can't let you go alone," Rogue said as she gripped the guns that Cole had dropped in D.C.

            "You are going to kill them when you find them, aren't you?" Scott asked as they broke into a jog and ducked behind a building.

            "Yes.  That is what Turks do," Cole said as he glanced down at the ground.  "We need to go down here.  Dukes is about fifty feet down there and something is closing in on him," he explained.

            "Then stand back and let me make a hole," Scott said as he removed his visor and began to assault the ground.

            Vincent took Creed and Elena with him as they entered the main compound, leaving Magneto and Stone to watch after the kids.  "Who are these people attacking the base Creed?  You said you knew them, but who are they," Vincent asked as they looked for an entrance to the underground part of the base.

            "They call themselves the Marauders.  Clones of mutants made to work for a mutant named Sinister.  There will be at least one of me down there.  I left Sinister's service a while back to work for Erik, but Sinister still uses my genetic material to make clones.  That kid, Gambit, he's a clone me and Erik rescued when we shut down one of the labs.  We'll probably see a full grown one of him in here," Creed explained.  

            "Great, this ought to be fun," Elena joked as she spotted a door that looked like it led down.  "There's our route," she pointed out.  

            Magneto and Stone led the others to where Stone said the main holding cell area was.  They walked into a bunker and stopped at an elevator.  "Open," Stone commanded.  The door didn't budge.  

            "The power is out here," Lance said as he pointed at the dark lights above them.

            "Great, we need to get down there.  Someone open it," Stone sighed as he stepped back.

            "Want to shake it or boom it?" Lance asked Gambit.

            "That's a big door, gonna take a while to charge.  I'll leave this one to you," Gambit admitted as he stepped back.

            "Here goes nothing!" Lance shouted as he stomped and began to shake the bunker.  After a few seconds there was a crack in the door, but it was still in one piece.  "Why don't we try blasting it?" he suggested as he caught his breath.

            "On three," Magneto ordered as he Stone and Remy prepared to assault the doorway.  "One, two, three," he said before he was drowned out by the blast from the energy assaults.  When the smoke cleared, there was a hole large enough for a person to get through.  "Powerful weapons Mr. Valentine has access to," he noted as they entered the elevator shaft and began to carefully slide down the cord.

            Murphy wandered around the halls of the base looking for a sign of life.  "Hello?  Anyone out there?" she shouted as he thought he heard footsteps.  He spun around as he definitely heard someone walking towards him in the hall behind him.  "Creed?  You scared the crap out of me," he said as he looked at Sabretooth dressed all in black.

            "Kinda dumb of you to be walking around here all alone, isn't it kid?" Creed asked as he studied the boy in front of him.

            "I wouldn't say that.  I mean, since we're out of the void field I can use my magic, so I can handle myself," he laughed as he stepped narrowly out of the way of the clone's claw swipe.  "Did I mention there's no way the real Creed could have made it this far already?  Hell, the only reason I am here is because I can 'port myself," he explained as he became enveloped in energy and floated into the air.  

            "So what kid, you got a trick or two," Creed growled.

            "And you?  You got nothing that impresses me.  You are nothing but a killer," he said coldly as he let the magic flow.

            Cole's eyes got wide as Rogue watched him sprout a pair of black wings as Scott neared the bottom of the hole with his blasts.  He dropped to all fours and was helped back up by Rogue before he pushed her away.  

            "I'm through," Scott said as he saw a concrete floor at the bottom of the hole.

            "Grab on," Cole ordered.  Scott and Rogue held to him tightly as he glided towards the bottom of the entrance, eventually landing on the cold floor.  "Hurry, that way," he pointed down the hall towards the sound of a firefight.  

            "What about you?" Rogue asked as she noticed him leaning against the wall.

            "Just go, or you won't make it in time," Cole said through clenched teeth.

            He watched Rogue and Scott run down the hall towards where he knew the battle was taking place before letting out a deep breath.  "Come on out, I know you're here," he said as someone stepped out from around the corner behind him.

            "I am Harpoon," the man introduced himself.  "My power is to…"

            "Charge stuff with power and make it explode, I know the basics," Cole interrupted him.  "Too bad for you that I am me," Cole added before turning and using his wings to propel himself down the hall at Harpoon.

            Scott entered the room where the firefight was taking place at a full sprint and unleashed his optic blast at the part-metal woman that half a dozen soldiers were firing at.  The woman was blasted back across the room into the wall where she collapsed to the ground.  Scott and Rogue moved quickly to he soldiers who pointed their guns at the two of them.  "We're on the same side here.  We just want to make sure our friends are okay," Scott explained.  "How many more are there?"

            "We've got unconfirmed reports, since one of them messed up our computer system, but we figure somewhere between seven and fourteen," one of the soldiers replied.  "So far they have not reached any of the holding cells yet, but we have experienced heavy casualties," he explained, pointing out several bodies in the room.

            "We need to get all the prisoners and get out of here to some open ground," Scott said.  "We should have enough firepower to take them out, or at the very least we can escape.  Besides, if you let our friends out the odds will stack in our favor," he pointed out.  

            "Negative, the prisoners' are reinjected every four hours.  They will have no powers for a few hours still," another soldier told Scott.

            "Great, let's at least get them out of these bunkers so they have a chance," Scott ordered, surprising himself when one of the guards went to follow his orders.

            "You pathetic children have no chance," the woman said as she unsteadily got to her feet.  "I am Arclight, you will never make it out of here alive," she taunted before activating her power and causing the ground at their feet to shake.

            "We'll see about that," Rogue muttered as she regained her footing and fired the gun she took off of Cole in Washington.  The energy blast knocked Arclight back, stunning her.  "Any time you boys are ready!" she shouted at Scott and the soldiers who immediately opened fire.

            Arclight was pummeled back into the wall by the blasts until she activated her power and knocked the combatants off balance.  "Time to get buried alive!" she screamed as the room began to shake and parts of the roof started to crash down.  Suddenly the shaking stopped and Arclight looked at her hands in disbelief.  "What is happening?"

            "That would be me," Cole replied as he looked on from the doorway.  His wings were bloodied and damaged from the knife that Harpoon had used on him before Cole finished him with his own weapon.  "Might as well bring your friend out of hiding too," he said as another woman seemed to fall out of Arclight.  Cole shuffled over to Rogue and took his gun from her.  "You need to turn it the whole way up for it to really be effective," he commented as he pushed a button.  "See," he said coldly as he fired at the two Marauders.  "There are seven more out there," he said once he was sure that they were dead.  "Murphy's got one of them almost gone now and the others are closing in on the last of them.  So let's get our people and get out of here," he said before falling to his knees.

            "Are you okay?" Rogue asked as she crouched next to him.

            "Too many wings, too short time," Cole answered before closing his eyes and collapsing.

            Vincent, Elena, and Sabretooth entered a room to find unknown mutants rapidly advancing through a small defense of soldiers towards a set of cells.  "That's Blockbuster, Riptide, and the original Gambit, I think," Creed growled.  

            "Good, let me get their attention," Vincent said as he took aim and hit the huge man, Blockbuster, in the back with a fire spell.

            The three of the turned to face their new threats.  "Creed, nice to see you again mon' ami," Gambit taunted.  "Come to join the fun?"

            "I'll give you fun!" Creed growled as he faced off against the Cajun.

            "You can have the big one, he's strong, but slow," Vincent said to Elena.

            "So, chivalry really is dead," Elena muttered as she gripped her pistol.  

            "Ha, think you have a chance against me, puny woman?" Blockbuster laughed.

            "You're asking for it," Elena replied angrily.  "You can probably take a bullet or two, but as long as I keep firing at you, eventually I will stop you," she said as she started to fire at the man's face.

            Creed and Gambit went at each other at full speed, energy packed cards versus claws and a healing factor.  They both knew the other's skills and movements so well that it was a deadlock for a bit.  But in the end, strength and claws beat speed and finesse.  "Ya lousy clone," Creed spat as he turned to check on the others.

            Vincent stared at the man called riptide calmly.  "Time to die, little man," Riptide taunted as he twirled his body at super speed and launched several shruiken at Vincent.  

            "Is that it?" Vincent asked as he watched the projectiles fall to the ground off of his barrier spell.  "The problem with this world is quite simple," he continued as he walked at his stunned foe.  "You all think you can change the world, do whatever you want, regardless of the consequences.  In my day we were content to live normal lives.  In Avalanche we could have taken over the world a hundred times over, but we were happy to live out our lives in peace," he kept talking as Riptide backed away from him.  "But the problem is, no matter how powerful you think you are, someone else is will rise to defeat you," Vincent finished as he pointed the _Agememnon_ at Riptide.  "You aren't anywhere near my level, boy," Vincent finished before shooting Riptide.

            "Stay down!" Elena shouted as she kept firing at Blockbuster's face at point blank range until the man stopped moving.  "You get the next big one Valentine," she said as she poked the body to make sure he was dead.

            Stone, Magneto, Lance, Remy, Pietro, Todd, Kurt, and Jamie followed the sound of gunfire to another group of cells.  "Three of them, soldiers are done for though," Pietro said after running in and out of the room in a second.  "They're almost at the cells," he added.

            "No time to waste then," Stone said as he entered the room with gun drawn.  "Back away from the cells you three," he ordered the last three Marauders.  The Marauders turned as if to laugh at the human before noticing he was not alone.  One was gifted with a crystalline body, another had a vest covered with various gun components and a pistol in each hand, and the third looked normal.

            "You must be joking," said the third as he raised his hand at the group, but dropped to the ground after taking a bullet from Stone.  

            "You don't know who you are messing with," replied the first one.

            "A bunch of fools who are going to lose their lives," Magneto replied as he pointed his gun at the remaining two.  The room exploded in a fury of light and sound from so many mutant powers and weapons being discharged until the body count was three.

_Note from the author—_

_Oooooh__:  Russian and Arabic are kicking my ass, but I will try to get the next cantos up faster than this.  It kinda just drug on longer and duller than expected.  Anyway the next canto will clean up these loose ends and be told from the first person view, mainly centering on the Turks.(minus Chaos who disappeared)_


	72. Canto 9 : Ronin : Verse 1

**_The Song of Eternity_**

****

**_Canto 9_**

****

**_Ronin_****__**

****

**_Verse 1_**

****

**_Never to let go,_**

**_Always living through the darkness,_**

**_Never being able to pass on,_**

**_Taking center stage unwillingly,_**

**_Fighting for whatever presents itself at the time,_**

**_Never for self._**__****

****

            Vincent stared at the ceiling of his room as the words faded from his sleepy mind.  He sat upright and breathed out a sigh before heading to the bathroom.  He stared at himself in the mirror, looking into his own crimson eyes.  "Where are you Chaos?" he asked himself before continuing to get ready for the day ahead of him.

            To an observer, Vincent Valentine looks odd to begin with.  Dressed in various shades of black and red whenever not wearing his blue Turk suit, carrying his weapon, the_ Agememnon concealed at all times, long black hair, pale white skin, and unnaturally red eyes, he oozed an air of danger._

            But the normal person did not know the half about his past.  He spent the majority of the past million years in suspended animation, only coming out to battle Sephiroth a few years after Meteor hit, to extinguish life on the planet many years later, and recently to help defeat Galactus/Garland.  In truth, he looked more normal now than he had in ages.  After the deaths of Galactus/Garland and Travis Starmore, two godlike entities who had been battling each other for as long as Vincent had lived, he had been separated from his inner demon, Chaos, and had his flesh left arm returned to him.

            "Where are you?" he muttered as he dried off from his shower.  Chaos disappeared about two weeks ago while in the Himalayan Mountains with another man, Logan, investigating a hunch.  Vincent knew the demon must still be alive, since the two of them were still bonded and felt each other's physical pain.  "…" he said nothing as he straightened his tie and went downstairs.

            Once downstairs he heard a car and motorcycle pulling out of the driveway.  He took a piece of paper down from it's spot, taped to the door, as he headed to the kitchen for breakfast.  _Vincent, we headed out around __7:30__ to check over the building one more time.  Catch you later, Murphy and Cole.  _P.S.  I left an egg on the stove, should still be warm.  _Vincent tossed the note in the trash as he dove into the breakfast Murphy left him.  Ever since the two of them showed up in his life, things had stayed interesting.  The pair of twins that showed up on his back doorstop asking for help and telling him where they came from._

            "I wish everything was as simple as fixing those two," he grumbled sarcastically as he finished eating and went to leave in his car.  The world he woke up in a few months ago was a strange one.  Men gifted with powers that normally could only be had with materia.  Vincent was put right into the middle of it as he made friends with many mutants, including the boy Cole.  It all came to a head when someone in the government gave the order to capture all the mutants in the town Bayville.  What ensued was the revelation that around twenty students at the local high school were mutants and a chain of events that led to the death of Charles Xavier by other mutants under the control of Apocalypse.

            Vincent and several others had freed those captured and helped fend off an attack by more mutants, called the Marauders, bent on killing the children.  When all was said and done, the children were exposed as mutants, but cleared of charges as the President took charge of the situation following an emotional speech by Erik Leshinger, equating the possible persecution of mutants to the Holocaust.  In the end, all the children and adults captured moved back into the late Xavier's mansion for safety as Vincent remained with the twins.

            Vincent frowned as he parked his car and walked toward the school.  The building was surrounded by protestors of all kinds holding anti-mutant signs and the like.  The crowd parted as they recognized Vincent.  Taunting children was one thing, but Vincent was technically an Avenger and had helped kill Galactus months ago.  He was greeted at the entrance by Principal Kelly and Colonel Stone of the Marines.  "Gentlemen," he greeted the two of them.

            "My teams have gone over this place already, but the twins decided to give it the once over," Stone informed him.  "We have the metal detectors at the entrance, so my people are going to move out and leave it up to you, unless you want to reconsider," Stone added.

            "I think not.  These are children and they do not need the distraction of armed men in the building," Vincent replied.

            "I have to agree with Mr. Valentine on this one.  I will not allow guns in my school," Principal Kelly added.

            "The students will be gathered in the auditorium once they arrive and I will address them.  Then once the other kids are here, I will talk to them and we can go about business as usual," Vincent continued.

            "All clear boss-man, no one but teachers in here," Murphy reported as he entered the lobby.  Murphy could best be described as the social twin.  They both looked the similar, especially in their matching Turk suits, about six feet tall, Murphy with short red hair, Cole with longer hair tied back.  

            Cole said nothing as he looked outside at the protestors.  The similarities ended once you got past their exteriors though.  Cole looked older, as if he had seen things beyond his years, while Murphy kept up a bright exterior.  "Elena is here," Cole noted.

            "Okay, you get her once she comes in and come into the auditorium," Vincent told him.  "Then we can get the circus going."

            "Welcome back students," Principal Kelly began.  "As you are no doubt aware, some students were gone for special reasons and have now returned.  Mr. Vincent Valentine, one of the Avengers would like to have a few words with you all before we start the day of classes," he addressed the crowd of murmuring students.

            The crowd quieted as Vincent took the microphone from Principal Kelly.  "This will be short and fast.  They  are the same kids you knew two weeks ago, they are not any different from then.  I expect them not to be treated any differently, meaning no singling them out because of their gifts," he said as he stared down the crowd.  "I will be here today to see that this happens, but I will leave it to you to act in a civilized manner after today," he added.  He motioned at the side of the stage for Murphy and Cole to come out.  "However, should you fail to act in an acceptable manner, the problem will be dealt with.  Murphy and Cole, along with myself and a few others are in charge of the situation around here by order of the government and are more than capable of dealing with any ideas you might have," Vincent finished before giving Kelly the microphone and walking offstage with Murphy and Cole behind him.

            Backstage Elena waited with the 18 young mutants who were standing around anxiously.  "Wow, he actually threatened the entire student body," Elena laughed as Vincent finished his speech and acme back.  "Real subtle there Valentine," she joked when he stood next to her.

            "Hopefully it will work," Vincent conceded.  "Okay, you all need to listen up here," he addressed the kids.  "Try to get along here, do not cause trouble," he added, looking at the members of the now defunct Brotherhood following Mystique's disappearance in D.C.  

            "If at all possible, refrain from using your powers as well, only do so in an emergency.  We don't need you freaking out the norms," Vincent continued.  "If there is a bad situation happening, walk away or get one of them," he pointed at Cole and Murphy.  "Cole will be able to feel you using your powers, your best bet is to use them to get his attention, but do not destroy any property," he finished looking at the Brotherhood once again.

            "And you two," he turned to look at the twins.  "Murphy, please, I repeat, please, do not go around casting spells anymore.  The norms can barely understand mutant powers," he begged the smirking youth.  "Cole, just don't kill anyone and try to keep the wings in," he said plainly.

            "Whatever," Cole replied.

            "Okay, that concludes the assembly, you can head off to first period now," Kelly finished from the main room.  

            "You heard the man, get going," Elena said as she shooed the kids into the main halls of the high school.  "So, you think it will work?" she asked Vincent as Kelly joined them.

            "Too soon to tell," Vincent replied.  "How many incidents today, do you think?" he asked the pair of them.

            "Couple dozen probably.  Lance and his crew aren't ones to back away from a confrontation," Elena guessed.  

            "Hopefully everyone will calm down in a week or so," Kelly added.

            "The kids might be able to handle it themselves, they've grown up over the past two weeks.  But I figure two dozen is about right, Cole will probably go ballistic in a few hours," Vincent said in a voice void of emotion.


	73. Canto 9 : Ronin : Verse 2

**_The Song of Eternity_**

****

**_Canto 9_**

****

**_Ronin_****__**

****

**_Verse 2_**

****

**_In an act of friendship,_**

**_Saved from darkness,_**

**_Thrust into the fire,_**

**_With friends who have become strangers._**

****

            Elena splashed some water on her face as she stared at her face in one of the bathrooms at the school.  As she dried her face, she silently cursed her current situation.  She had been diagnosed with a terminal lung disease shortly after the fight with Garland/Sephiroth.  Reno and Rude took it upon themselves to ambush her and throw her into suspended animation rather than see her die in the following months.  She found a book in the suspended animation chamber when she left.  Reno and Rude had apologized for what they had done and wished her luck, hoping they could cure her whenever she was found.

            The bell rand loudly and the hallway became flooded with students.  She stood up against the closest wall, watching the crowd for danger.  She took a deep breath and winced.  When Vincent and Chaos had found her and taken her to a doctor for a cure, she had to have part of her lung cut out to remove the cancer.  She glanced to her right at a group of football players standing around.  "Hey guys, what's going on?" she heard the high pitched voice of Todd Tolansky coming from the general area.   

            "So what makes you so special Tolansky?  What kind of freaky powers do you have?" one of the football players asked as he poked Todd in the chest.

            "I don't want to make a scene here guys, why don't you just let me go?" Todd sweated as he got ready to make a break for it.  He streaked out from the group, wriggling until he was caught again and slammed against the wall.

            "Where do you think you're going?  Now we're gonna have to hurt you," one of them laughed.

            "Really now…," Elena chuckled from her position behind the boys where she had moved to during the commotion.  "Todd, come here," she ordered as the football players dropped him and he rubbed a sore shoulder and went over to Elena.  "Get to class," she told him before turning to the bullies.  "This is the only warning you will get, leave them alone.  Once I leave and the twins are in charge of keeping the peace here, pulling stunts like that will get you put into an infirmary," she finished before walking away.

            A couple hours and a couple fights later, Elena was in the lunchroom poking at what they considered food.  "Disgusting," she muttered.  "Better food back in Turk training camp," she added.

            "I have to agree with you there," Vincent said as he joined her at the table.  "Half-way done for the day and no one has died yet.  So far, so good," he mused as he started to eat.

            "Hopefully we can scare the students into not causing incidents when Cole and Murphy take over," Elena added.  "Murphy will take it too light and Cole is liable to kill someone," she finished as she watched Cole sitting alone at a table across the room.

            "Give him more credit than that, he's already shown great restraint today," Vincent said.  "He's resorting to intimidation more than action, he hasn't even touched anyone yet."  

            "Nothing to serious yet to the kids then," Elena stated as she looked at the four tables of mutants.

            "Nothing too bad, maybe a couple bruises, and a lot of verbal abuse," Vincent commented as he kept eating.

            "How can you eat that stuff?" Elena asked him.

            "Easy, I'm hungry.  You were a Turk.  Unless they changed the training routine when I was gone, the food was as bad as this," Vincent explained.

            "Yeah, but you must have gotten used to good food after that," Elena continued.

            "Elena, I was stationed in the Slums, then the ShinRa mansion, then I spent the rest of my time with Cloud before hooking up with Starmore.  The people and places were not the most stomach friendly at times," Vincent explained.  His eyes shifted up from the meal towards the far side of the room.  "Let's see if they can handle this themselves," he whispered as one of the football players Elena dealt with earlier walked towards the mutants.

            When he got near the closest table he faked like he was tripping and sprawled forward, sending his food flying at his victims.  Fortunately one of the people at the table was Pietro, who grabbed everything and stacked it neatly so that none of it hit anyone.  Pietro glared back at the football player who backed away from the table until he bumped into Cole.

            "We gonna stop him?" Elena asked.

            "Give him a chance," Vincent replied as he watched to see what Cole would do.

            Cole stood there, staring at the football player who turned away and left for his table quickly.  Once he was seated, Cole returned to his own table and resumed his meal.

            "I don't know what's worse, him talking all cryptic-like , or him not talking at all," Elena shivered.

            Later that day in the parking lot Elena stopped to talk to Cole, who was getting ready to leave on his motorcycle.  "So, what do you think?" she asked him.

            "About what?" he replied.

            "You think the kids will be okay?" she clarified with a sigh.  _It's like talking to Vincent with him.  All dark and gloomy…._

            "They are terrified," he said plainly.

            "The regular kids are, sure," Elena agreed.

            "No, all of them.  Everyone," Cole contradicted her.  "The mutants fear the humans, the humans fear the mutants, and they all fear us," he explained.  "But in answer to your question, they will be fine, this world is good enough to accept them," he finished.

            "Interesting theory," Elena replied as she thought it over.  "How are you doing?" she asked, changing the situation.

            "Ha, nice change of subject…," Cole laughed a little as he fiddled with his bike helmet.  "How am I?  I am the same as Valentine.  Descending into the depths of darkness, falling to the point of no return…,"he trailed off as he looked down at the ground.

            "What are you talking about?  Vincent said that all of you were dealing well with the current situation and the disappearance of Chaos," Elena probed.

            "Dealing well…, interesting choice of words," Cole replied.  "We are dying.  Imploding.  Self-destructing," he said loudly.  "The only one keeping that damn house together is Murphy," he explained.

            "What?" Elena exclaimed.

            "Valentine ain't talking to you either, eh?  Doesn't surprise me.  He's been retreating into a bottle every damn night," Cole explained.

            "He's been drinking?" Elena continues to probe.

            "Yes.  He's a damn drunk now.  Just waiting for the end to come… aren't we all..," his voice trailed off.            

            "What about you?"

            "Me?  I am waiting," Cole said calmly.

            "For what?" Elena asked.

            "The end, hopefully.  This place sucks.  Once the opportunity presents itself, I will gladly rush headlong to oblivion.  But I will not kill myself," he finished as he put on his helmet and rode off.

            "Damn you Valentine.  I need to talk to Murphy," Elena muttered to herself angrily.


	74. Canto 9 : Ronin : Verse 3

**_The Song of Eternity_**

****

**_Canto 9_**

****

**_Ronin_**

****

**_Verse 3_**

****

**_The chance for a normal life is right in front of me,_**

**_Why do I stay to help them?_**

**_When they don't care about themselves…_**

****

            "What are you doing here?" Lance asked Murphy as he got out of his car.  

            "You know, I love hanging around with you guys so much, I figured I'd come over," Murphy laughed.  "Actually it's my shift to watch over you guys," he added as Magneto and Storm came through the mansion's front door.  "Uh, oh.  The boss man is here."

            "If it is insisted that one of the Turks is here with us, I would prefer that he not take his job so lightly," Magneto said as Lance edged away from the conversation.

            "Take it easy there guy, you people got the defenses up again, right?"

            "Yes, we have repaired most of the damage," Storm nodded.

            "Then, the only real things we have to worry about are angry mobs or a mutant powerful enough to get by our defenses, so I would appreciate it if you would get off my back," Murphy snapped back at Magneto.  The three of them turned as another car came up the driveway and parked behind Murphy.  "Jeez, why's Elena here?" Murphy said irritably.

            "Hello everyone, Vincent sent me here to share whatever information we have regarding the whereabouts of Chaos and Logan.  And I need to talk to you later," she added to Murphy.

            "Fine, let's go into Charles's study, I am not trusting enough of the local populous to stand out in the open like a target," Magneto agreed.  Once inside the mansion Magneto spoke again.  "Creed is out patrolling the grounds for intruders and McCoy can handle the kids for a little by himself while we exchange information," he explained as he sat down.  "What news of Logan?"

            "Valentine got some satellite images of the mountain where they went, the only problem is that the monastery is no longer there and the place looks like it never was there," Elena said as she handed Magneto and Storm some photos.  "He's working on tracking them down with Starmore's technology, but so far he hasn't found a trace of Logan, Chaos, Wanda, or John," Elena admitted as she recalled the four missing companions.  "Cole can't sense them either, but that doesn't mean anything because he has never really been able to sense this Mesmero guy either, besides that time at the mall."  

            "As near as we can gather, they are being shielded somewhere by someone who knows our capabilities.  We can't locate them with Cerebro either, so the question is, who has taken them?" Storm asked.

            "Valentine thinks it's that Apocalypse guy, some of Starmore's instruments went crazy before this government fiasco, warning us of some action going on at some places where he is connected to," Murphy explained. 

            "So we really know nothing about where they are, just that Apocalypse probably has them," Magneto mused.  "So until something presents itself, we are stuck," he said angrily.

            "Vincent is checking out the safe houses that were compromised, maybe he'll find a lead," Elena suggested.  

            "I doubt anyone smart enough to infiltrate one of Starmore's safe houses would be dumb enough to leave a trail," Murphy pointed out.  

            "Great, nice optimism there Murph," Elena said irritably.  

            "If there is nothing else, we need to attend to the children," Magneto excused himself and took Storm with him.

            "What's so important that you came all the way here?  I knew that we didn't have any idea where they were.  I coulda handled it," Murphy pointed out.            

            "I had a talk with your brother," Elena said.

            "So what, I have talks with him all the time, he doesn't say much back, but still, we talk," Murphy shrugged.

            "What the hell is going on at your house?" Elena asked angrily.  "From what Cole tells me Vincent is drinking himself to death and Cole is ready to fight anything, no matter the odds."

            "That sounds about right," Murphy said defiantly.

            "Why the hell don't you do something, you could have told me earlier, I could have helped," she shouted.

            "Help them?  Ha!" Murphy laughed.  "Valentine is obsessing on how many people he has killed and how his life is an endless bloodbath, no matter what he tries to do to stop it.  And Cole, the kid is messed up.  He's a nut, both of his personalities are taking turns controlling the body, talking to each other, basically things that they should not be doing, and he doesn't care.   I can't help them if they won't help themselves at all," he finished.  

            "But they're your friends," Elena insisted.

            "Screw 'em.  I keep them alive.  I thought they could be helped, but it is gonna take more than what I can do to fix them.  So if you don't mind, I'm gonna go sit outside until my shift is over.

            Murphy watched Elena leave as he sat on the hood of his car and looked over the area.  He frowned when he saw all the damage from the military's attack.  "What a waste," he muttered as he heard someone waling up behind him.

            "Yes it is," Magneto replied.  

            "What do you want?  Come to complain about us being here watching over you?  If I had my choice, I'd be back home watching TV, so if you gonna complain, just leave," he spat out quickly.

            "I will say nothing of the sort, you are better equipped to handle whatever happens than the kids are," he replied.

            "Good, then what do you want?"

            "Take a look at this," Magneto said as he handed Murphy a piece of paper.  "I found it in Xavier's desk," he explained as Murphy stared at the paper silently.

            "Did you now…" Murphy muttered before the paper burst into flames in his hand.  "Oops," he joked as the ashes drifted to the ground.

            "What do you suppose I should make of that drawing?" Magneto asked.

            "You know what to make of it, quit playing dumb," Murphy replied.  "I suggest you forget about it and not bring it up to him, it could set him off, which no one wants," he added.

            Later, after Magneto left, Murphy was watching the sunset when Rogue, Lance, and Scott approached him.  "S'up people," he greeted them.  "How goes life in the big house?"

            "It's taking some time to adjust, Magneto is very different than Xavier was," Scott replied.  

            "Anything is an improvement over our old house," Lance laughed quietly.  "That place was a dump," his voice trailed off.

            "How was today?  Not too bad I hope," Murphy said, making small talk.

            "Great, if you like no one talking to you and generally avoiding you like the plague," Rogue sighed.  

            "So what brings you three out here?" Murphy asked.

            "As a group, we've come to a decision," Scott took over.  "We won't use our powers in school if we can help it, but we want you, Cole, and the rest of the Turks to back off and let us take care of it," he explained.

            "I'd love to let you take care of it as well, but I'm not really in charge here.  So long as you don't kill anyone I'll let you run wild, but Valentine and Cole have other ideas," Murphy explained.  "I'll talk to Vince, I should be able to get out of my duties watching you guys, and Elena will probably go along with it," he guessed.  "Even Vincent might let you be, but there's no way to tell what Cole's gonna do."

            "Fair enough," Scott agreed.

            "Yeah, hopefully we can get on with our lives, I've had enough adventure for a couple lifetimes over the past six months.  Once we find John, Wanda, Logan, and Chaos again, I'd be glad to quit using my powers casually," Lance admitted.

            "You shouldn't be afraid or ashamed of what you are," Murphy broke in.  He held his hand out and created a sphere of glowing energy.  "If they have a problem with you, it is their problem," he spoke as the sphere shot out small blast of fire, ice, and other magical elements.  "You just have to make them understand that you are the same people you were before.  Don't change for them," he said sternly.  "Well, my shift is over, see you in school," he laughed before heading out in his car.


	75. Canto 9 : Ronin : Verse 4

**_The Song of Eternity_**

****

**_Canto 9_**

****

**_Ronin_****__**

****

**_Verse 4_**

****

**_We've been through hell,_**

**_Lost our mentor and leader,_**

**_Been exposed to the world,_**

**_Lost some friends, lost ourselves,_**

**_But we're still here._**

****

            Rogue opened her eyes groggily as she looked around her darkened room in the mansion.  She tried to get used to the darkness as she listened to try to find out what woke her up.  She finally got used to the darkness and moonlight and recognized Kitty sleeping in the bed on the other side of the room, but could not find what woke her up.  "Probably one of the bats again," she muttered as she slipped on her slipped and stumbled her way to the kitchen. 

            She was surprised to see McCoy, Scott, and Lance already awake and sitting around eating.  "Looks like someone else couldn't sleep," McCoy commented as Rogue yawned and say down.  

            "It's the bats again, they fly right by my window and wake me up every other night," Rogue explained.  "What are your excuses?"

            "Bad dreams," Scott said.

            "Weird dreams," Lance added.

            "I was hungry," McCoy shrugged.  They sat there silently for a minute eating, drinking, and staring groggily off into space as it started to rain. 

            "Any word on where the missing people are?" Scott asked.

            "Nothing yet, but once they come out into the open Cerebro should be able to locate them," Hank explained.

            "We should be out looking for them," Lance said angrily.

            "You need to stay in school and get back to whatever you consider normal.  If Vincent and Magneto cannot handle the situation themselves, the twenty or so of you getting in their way will not help," Hank told him.

            "There's something weird going on out there," Rogue said quietly as she looked out the window.  All four sets of eyes looked out at the dark tree line.

            "I don't see anything," Scott said.

            "Wait for it, be careful not to blink," Rogue told them.  "It's really fast," she added as a dark blur whizzed across the far side of the yard.

            "What was that?" Lance asked.  "Pietro?"

            "Too slow to be him," Hank shook his head.  He went over to an intercom on the wall and pressed a button.  "Creed, where are you?"

            "Sleepin', go away blue," the reply growled over the intercom.

            "Probably someone from the town trying to mess with us.  I say we go mess with them," Lance said as the room trembled a little.

            "If they come any closer to the mansion, the defenses will activate and deal with whoever it is," McCoy said.

            "What if it isn't someone from the town.  It could be once of Apocalypses people," Scott guessed.  "We need to check it out, come on," he said as he headed to the door with the others in tow.  "Spread out," he ordered as all four of them rushed out onto the wet grass to look for the intruder.

            Rogue frowned as she felt herself getting cold and wet.  She squinted at the dark tree line, but could find nothing out of the ordinary.  "This sucks," she grumbled, but kept looking around.

            "Anything?" Scott shouted to the others.

            "No sign of whoever it was," McCoy said as he examined the ground near where they saw the intruder.

            "They probably got spooked and bolted when we came out.  Most of the town is scared of us, whoever it was is probably long gone by now," Lance ventured.

            "But if they were crazy enough to come here, then…..," Rogue stopped talking as she put her hand out.  "Where'd the rain go…?" she muttered as she saw the rain keep falling on her friends, but not on her.  "Aaah!" she screamed as she turned around and saw the dark figure behind her.

            "You four are going to wake the others if you are not careful," the figure spoke.  "What are you thinking, coming out here in the rain by yourselves in the middle of the night anyway?" he continued as Rogue looked up at the huge black feathered wing he had extended over her.  "Let's get inside before you hurt yourselves," Cole ordered as he walked back to the door.

            "What are you doing here Cole?" Lance asked as he caught up with Rogue and Cole.  "We told Murphy and Elena that we don't need or want your help," he said angrily.   

            "Too bad you have no say in the matter," Cole said coldly as he stopped at the door.  He closed his eyes and shook a little as he pulled his wings back into his body.  He leaned against the mansion as he caught his breath before pulling a shirt from the bag he was carrying and joining the others in the house.

            "What were you doing out there?" Scott asked as he took a seat.

            "Patrolling," Cole replied.

            "You don't have to do that, we don't need your help," Scott said.

            "As I **told Lance, you have no ****say in the matter," Cole replied as his voice grew deeper in some parts.  ****"I will do what I want, when I want.  ****You do not have a say in the matter," he finished.**

            "May I ask, are you okay?" McCoy asked as he noticed the change in Cole's voice and growing tension.

            "I am fine, you should all get some sleep," he added glancing at a clock.

            "Fine, we get the picture, Mr. hard-ass Turk," Lance said angrily before storming out.

            Scott and McCoy followed him out, but Rogue stayed at the table with Cole.  "What do you want?" Cole asked her.

            "The way your voice changed…it was your other personality, wasn't it?"  Cole just stared back at her silently without responding.  "I remember it from when you saved us when the military attacked.  What's going on?"

            "Nothing is going on, **we are fine**," Cole replied.

            "Are you sure?  You don't seem fine," she said dejectedly.        

            "**Leave us be," Cole ordered as he stormed out of the room and slammed the door behind him.**

            Rogue sat there stunned for a minute before she noticed another figure had entered the room.  "What do you want?" she asked Magneto.

            "Initially I wanted to see what you four were doing outside at 4 in the morning, but I have figured it out by myself," he explained.  "A bit of advise Rogue, you may want to avoid that boy."

            "Why?"

            "A man possessing the power he does, cursed with a second, darker personality, living the life he does…  He is dangerous Rogue.  Be careful around him."


	76. Canto 9 : Ronin : Verse 5

**_The Song of Eternity_**

****

**_Canto 9_**

****

**_Ronin_****__**

****

**_Verse 5_**

****

**_He's always been the strongest,_**

**_Fearing nothing,_**

**_Defeating all challengers,_**

**_How far has he fallen?_**

****

            Elena sighed as she turned off her computer.  "No news about Chaos or the others anywhere…perfect," she muttered sarcastically.  She had spent the last few days searching the internet for strange occurrences that might lead to Chaos, but had found nothing.  It had been easier than she thought it would be to tell Vincent to leave the young mutants at the mansion alone.  Too easy in fact, she thought as locked up the old office.  "He's been getting waaaay too, despondent, even for Vincent," she muttered to herself as she looked up at the sky.  "Night already," she whispered.

            She and Murphy had been leaving the mutants to their own devices over the last week or so, and so far no one had got killed or destroyed a large part of the city.  She spoke to Vincent rarely and saw him even less.  He sent Murphy to give her orders or called when Murphy was unavailable.  From what Murphy told her, he had been drinking more than usual.  What possibly disturbed her a little more was the situation with Cole.  According to Murphy, Cole had not slept since they all returned to Bayville.  She had seen him flying around at night a few times herself, but decided against doing something.  "He's got to work it out for himself," she said as she unlocked her car and got in.  

            She drove for a little over a mile until she pulled into a local bar.  "At least it's Friday," she sighed as she pushed open the door and went to her usual seat at the bar. 

            "The usual 'Lena?" the bartender asked.

            "Yes Mike," she replied as he handed her an open beer.  "What's new?" she asked him.

            "Town's been pretty quiet, most of the people are starting to settle down again," he replied as he wiped down the bar.  "Any problems at your job?" he asked her.

            "Nope, all quiet on my front," she replied, both of them knowing full well what her 'job' was.  There had been a few patrons of the bar objecting to her drinking there when she first started going, but she dealt with them and things had been good since.

            "Got a new guy in tonight, been drinking that bottle of vodka for the past hour," he motioned at a figure in a dark corner.  "Seems like a lonely fellow."

            "Hmmm," she mumbled as she swiveled to get a good view.  Her eyes got wide as she recognized the clothes.  "Vincent?" she said quietly.  She got up from her seat and walked over to him.  "Vincent?"

            He looked up slowly, his eyes looking over her face for a minute before recognizing her.  "Hello Elena," he greeted her.  "What're you doing here?" he mumbled, obviously drunk.

            "I come here three of four times a week, and you?" she asked as she took the empty bottle from his hand.

            "They quit serving me at the other bar I usually go to," he explained.

            "What happened?"

            "Barfight."

            "Here, come to the bar with me, we need to sober you up a little," she said as she pulled on his arm, leading him to the bar.  "Mike, get him a coffee," she said as the barkeep went to get the drink.  "How much have you been drinking Vincent?"

            "A lot," he said as he supported himself on the bar.

            "Murphy says you have a problem," she said quietly.

            "Yes I do," he slurred.  "I am a failure, forced to battle and lose forever," he mumbled as he took the coffee and sipped it.

            "What have you failed at Vincent?" she asked him.

            "I failed Lucretia, failed Cloud, failed AVALANCHE, failed Xavier, failed everyone," he muttered angrily.  "Everyone dies but me.  That's the way it has been ever since Hojo got to me.  Death Gigas, Hellmasker, and the Galian Beast, they all died, but I lived.  Everyone on this planet died, but I lived on," he spoke.  "I'm just so tired of the killing….," he said as he grew silent.

            "Vincent, you are the strongest person I know.  You haven't failed anyone," she consoled him.

            "I failed Xavier!" he shouted and got up from the bar.  "I failed those kids!  I failed Starmore!  Don't tell me about myself, I know all about my sins," he said angrily before storming out of the bar.

            "What crawled up his ass?" Mike asked as Elena sighed.

            "About a million years of death and destruction," she said before taking another drink of her beer.


	77. Canto 9 : Ronin : Verse 6

**_The Song of Eternity_**

****

**_Canto 9_**

****

**_Ronin_****__**

****

**_Verse 6_**

****

**_From the land of darkness they return,_**

**_No longer as they once were,_**

**_Taking what they want,_**

**_Taking who they want._**__****

****

            It had been three weeks since the mutants had returned to school.  Things had calmed down in Bayville.  Murphy, Elena, and Vincent had left the mutants to their own devices and so far things had not gone badly.  Cole continued to watch over the mansion at night, despite the residents' protests.  In the meantime Vincent, Ororo, McCoy, Elena, Magneto, and Creed had kept an eye on their various devices, but had yet to find a trace of their missing companions.

            Lance, Scott, and the rest of the mutants who were having lunch were sitting together, a few deserted tables separated them from the rest of the student body.  "It isn't the being left alone that bugs me, it's like we have the plague or something," Lance complained to Pietro.

            "It isn't that bad," Pietro shrugged.  "Hell, no even gets near Cole anymore," he pointed out Cole who was leaning against the wall across the lunchroom.  Cole looked down as he pulled a cell phone out of his pocket and answered it.  "Who would be calling him?" Pietro asked.

            "Probably Valentine, where's Murphy anyway?" Lance asked.

            "He hasn't showed up for lunch yet, so I  ….. have… no….. idea," his words got slower as he looked quizzically at Cole who was making his way over to their tables.

            Cole's pace quickened as he started to unbutton his shirt.  He got angry and pulled his shirt and jacket both up over his head and tucked them under his arm.  As he passed the last area of normal student tables he grimaced as half of his tattoo faded and his black wings ripped out from his back, spraying the area with blood.  He tossed his clothes on the ground near the surprised mutants before speaking quickly and tossing his phone to Madrox.  "Call Vincent, speed dial 1.  The rest of you, get the norms out of here or do what you can," he said before flapping his way into the air.  "If you don't have superpowers, I would advise you to get the fuck out of here!" he shouted before part of the far wall began to crumble.

            As students began to scatter, the wall collapsed and Murphy ran into the lunchroom, soaking wet.  "Ice!" he shouted as a burst of flames enveloped him.  A figure walked through the wreckage, creating a wall of fire around Murphy.  

"Isn't that Pyro?" Gambit asked as he looked across the room.

            "Maybe, but those are Dark Riders and Marauders with him!" Lance shouted as he watched people stream through the wrecked wall from outside.

            "Peitro, Madrox, Rogue, get these people out of here!" Cole shouted before flying at the action.  He narrowed his eyes as he stopped and hovered in the air, looking into the eyes of another with black wings.  "Chaos, what is the meaning of this?" he asked as he recognized the demon.

            "Death and destruction, of course," he laughed before clawing at Cole.

            Murphy delivered a roundhouse kick to Pyro out of desperation as his ice and barrier spells started to weaken.  A few minutes ago Pyro had shown up outside when Murphy went out to get a breath of fresh air and started to try to kill him.  Luckily his barriers and ice spells had counteracted the fire enough to buy him enough time to call Cole and warn him.  A minute ago he saw the Dark Riders and Marauders show up, and decided to get help by blasting the school wall.  He jumped back from table to table as the Marauders and Dark Riders filed into the lunchroom.  He stopped as he was caught by something huge.  "That better be you Dukes," he said as he looked up.  "Thank god," he sighed as he got to his feet.

            "What's going on here Murphy?" Dukes asked him as dozens of duplicate Rogues and Madroxes herded students to the exits while Pietro whizzed around grabbing and carrying out those who were corned off.

            "No idea, Pyro's gone nuts I think.  Cole can't shut him down either," Murphy explained.  "Where's Cole?"

            "Fighting some flying thing up near the ceiling," Fred explained as he pointed up to where Cole was dodging Chaos's attacks.

            "Okay, new idea here," Murphy shouted as some of the others got close enough to hear him.  "Pyro and Chaos are probably brainwashed, so that means that Logan and Wanda are probably with them as well, so be careful!" he added as he looked back to see who was closest to him.  "Summers brothers, blast them out of the building!" he shouted as he unleashed an Ultima spell at the attackers.  His spell was joined quickly by optic blasts from Scott and cosmic energy from Alex.

            Vincent picked up his phone at the office after the first ring.  "Vincent," he answered.

            "This is James Madrox, Cole says for you to get over here quick, the school is under attack and all hell is breaking loose!" Madrox shouted into the phone.

            "On my way," Vincent replied as he dropped the phone and vaulted his desk, running for the door.  "Elena, school, battle, now!" Vincent yelled as Elena grabbed her coat and ran out the door after him.  

            "Let me drive, you get ready to shoot," she shouted as she slid across the hood of her car and jumped in the driver's seat.  "Who's fighting who now?" she asked as she floored the gas and sped toward the school.

            "No idea, Madrox called on Cole's phone, said to get over," he explained as he looked toward the school.  "That looks like Cole flying around outside though, and it looks like he is fighting something," Vincent said before a building blocked his view.

            "Creed, Elena," she said as she picked up her phone and called the mansion.  "Get to the school," was all she said before dropping the phone and cranking the wheel as they made a sharp turn.  "Wow," was all she said as the school came into view.

            The fighting had spilled outside where everyone was split up trying to do what they could.  Pyro had retreated a bit, but Cole was still grappling with Chaos in the air.  The young mutants were slowly beating back the Dark Riders and Marauders by sheer force of numbers.  Scott turned away after blasting a Sabretooth clone, hearing a gunshot, his eyes resting on the rapidly approaching car.  "Back now!" he shouted, causing the mutants to scatter.

            Elena slammed on the brakes as she stopped the car directly between the two groups.  She and Vincent dove to the other side of the car and started to fire as the air around them erupted in various forms of mutant energy.  "Murphy!" Vincent shouted as he lined up the Agememnon and took down a Gambit clone.  

            "What?!" the Murphy replied irritably as he cast wave after wave of elemental magic at the enemy forces.  

            "Knock Chaos away from Cole," she said as she kept firing at the Dark Riders and Marauders.

            "Easier said than done!" he shouted as he directed a jet of fire into the air, totally missing the fast moving targets.  "They're too fast," he shouted to Elena.

            Elena frowned as she pointed her gun at the two flying combatants and pulled the trigger.  The bullet flew at them fast enough to clip both of them and send them spiraling toward the ground.  "There, now kill them!" she shouted as she kept firing.

            Suddenly a car came crashing down out of the sky, wiping out the enemies that were still standing.  "I trust no one has any qualms about killing those monstrosities," Magneto said as he floated down to the ground with Creed, McCoy, and Storm. 

            "Is everyone okay?" Storm asked as she started looking over the children.

            "No one hurt too bad auntie O," Evan replied.

            "Where are Chaos and Pyro?" Scott asked quickly.

            Magneto waved his arm, moving the debris to reveal the angry forms of Chaos and Pyro.  "You took out the weaklings pretty easily, but we will not leave until we achieve our mission," Pyro said coldly.

            "Give up, we'll find a way to fix what was done to you.  You're hopelessly outnumbered here," Vincent said as he pointed the Agememnon at Chaos.  "What the hell?" he swore as the air behind Pyro shimmered and revealed three more forms.

            "Who's 'dat?" Gambit asked as he tried to get a look at the new figures.

            "This is very bad," Cole said as he got up from the ground breathing hard and bleeding from where Elena's bullet had grazed him.  "That is Apocalypse," he sighed before his body shuddered a bit.

            "Very perceptive of you, Cole," Apocalypse's voice boomed.

            "Logan, and Wanda too…." Magneto muttered as he recognized the final two bodies.  "What have you done to them?"

            "They are no longer the ones you knew.  They are now my four horsemen, their powers are increased greatly, along with being immune from certain other power, namely Cole's void field, Magneto's power, and telepathy," Apocalypse explained.

            "Great," Lance muttered.  "Perfect if you consider how many times Wanda has nearly fought all of us to a standstill by herself," he said under his breath to Scott.

            "Enough wasting time here, come my horsemen, time to cull the weak," Apocalypse said as he moved with incredible speed swinging his enormous arms into the gathered mutants and scattering them.

            Vincent managed to do a back flip out of the way of Apocalypse's initial attack, but found himself face to face with Chaos when he landed.  "Are you ready to die Valentine?  Ready to fail all of these people as you have failed everyone else in your life?" the demon taunted him.

            "You cannot kill me demon, unless Apocalypse is far more powerful than he appears, we are still linked," Vincent said as he pointed the Agememnon at Chaos.  "He's brainwashed you Chaos.  You are being used for his goals," Vincent said as he dropped his gun arm.

            "Foolish human!" Chaos roared as he swung his claw, slicing into Vincent's other arm.  

            They both cried out in pain together, Chaos in a but more surprise though.  "You moron, he's controlling your mind, but not your memories, otherwise he never would have attempted this mission!" Vincent shouted at the demon.

            "I cannot hurt you, but I can hurt the children," Chaos growled as he attempted to fly away from Vincent.

            "You will not!" Vincent shouted as he took aim and fired at the demon's wings, bracing himself for the pain he himself would endure.

            "Secure the objective Logan!" Apocalypse shouted amidst the roar of battle, as he  and the others fought to a standstill.

            "Yes, Apocalypse," Logan replied as he punched Lance in the face, knocking him to the ground.  He quickly knocked Ororo, Lance, and a few Madroxes out of his way before putting his fist up to the side of Rogue's head.  "Stop now, or the girl dies!" he shouted at everyone.

            "It seems you are reluctant to sacrifice one to stop your foes," Apocalypse taunted as the fighting stopped and his horsemen returned to his side, save Logan.  "We are leaving now, and we are taking her with us.  We will spare your lives, this one and only time," Apocalypse ordered.  

            "I cannot let you take her," Cole said as he unsteadily walked up to Logan.

            "You do not have a choice, Cole," Apocalypse told him.

            "I cannot let you take her, you will just take her DNA to clone her and use her power, then kill her," Cole said as he glared at Logan.

            "That may be, but we will kill her now if you try anything," Logan told him.

            "I will give you myself, if give your word not to kill her," Cole told Apocalypse.

            "As you wish," Apocalypse laughed as a vortex appeared behind him.  "Through the portal, now," he ordered.

            "Cole, stop," Murphy shouted.

            "I cannot.  I trust you will do what you can," Cole replied as he walked with Logan and Rogue to the portal.  "Valentine, you should be smart enough to figure this out, I am very weak," Cole said as he followed Logan, Rogue and the others through the portal before it closed behind them.


	78. Canto 9 : Ronin : Verse 7

**_The Song of Eternity_**

****

**_Canto 9_**

****

**_Ronin_****__**

****

**_Verse 7_**

****

**_Redemption,_**

**_Salvation,_**

**_Do not exist._**

**_In the end, you do what you can,_**

**_And pray to whatever is out there,_**

**_That you've made the right choices._****__**

****

            "This wall will do nicely for our guests," Apocalypse said as he stopped leading Cole, Rogue, and his horsemen.  They had popped through a portal being created by a large machine in the next room over a short time ago.  "Pardon my rudeness, but I cannot take the chance of your escape, I do not trust highly in the promises of prisoners," Apocalypse spoke.  "The girl first Logan," he ordered as he pointed at a set of chains and manacles coming out of the stone floor.

            "There we go," Logan said as he locked her hands in the manacles, leaving her a five or six foot radius to walk around.  

            "But for you, we will have to use a somewhat rougher way of containing you, considering how dangerous some of my horsemen believe you to be," he said while glancing at Chaos.  "Chaos, put him in the wall shackles," Apocalypse ordered.

            Cole walked over to the set of chains and manacles coming out of the wall and let Chaos lock him in.  "You will not kill her, as we agreed?" Cole spoke directly to Apocalypse.  

            "For now, so long as you do not try to escape that is," Apocalypse replied.  "I have work to do.  Chaos, Logan, stay here and make sure he is what you would consider adequately restrained," Apocalypse laughed before leaving with Pyro and Wanda.

            "Logan, let us go, please," Rogue pleaded with her former mentor.

            "No can do darlin'.  Working for a different boss now," he told her.

            "Enough talking, we need to retrain him more," Chaos said nervously.  

            "He's chained to a wall Chaos.  His power is to stop other powers.  I don't think he's going anywhere," Logan sighed.

            "He is a danger to us all," Chaos replied angrily.

            "How is he a danger?  Mind filling the rest of us in on it?" Logan mocked him.

            "He doesn't have a complete memory at his disposal, part of him is locked away and protected from whatever brainwashing Apocalypse did to him," Cole replied from his spot on the wall.

            "Enough talk, we need to stop him," Chaos replied as he grabbed several sharp metal rods from the corner.  "Wings extended against the wall," Chaos ordered.

            "Look away Rogue," Cole ordered as he complied with Chaos.  Rogue looked away as Chaos drove the first rod through Cole's wing with a sickening noise.  She closed her eyes as the sound repeated itself three more time, but no noise came from Cole.

            "There, you pinned him to the damn wall, happy now?" Logan asked Chaos.

            "He made no noise.  No noise at all," Chaos said angrily.  

            "Probably in shock, let's get out of here and get ready," Logan said as Chaos picked up another rod.  "What the hell are you doing?"

            "We should pin his arms too, maybe his legs," Chaos said as he stepped back towards Cole.  

            "Enough Chaos," Apocalypse's voice came into the room.  "I would like him alive if possible.  Come to the control room now, we can watch them from here," he ordered.

            Chaos frowned and threw the rod he was holding back into the corner.  "You better stay still," he threatened Cole before slugging him in the face and leaving the room with Logan.

            Rogue opened her eyes and turned around to look at what they did to Cole.  He hung limply from the wall, supported by the manacles digging into his wrists and the four rods pinning his wings to the wall.  He shook his head and spit out some blood as he regained his senses.  He was bleeding where the manacles dug into his wrists.  Blood flowed down his wings onto the wall, turning it red.  On top of all that, his leg was still bleeding from where Elena grazed it.

            "Oh my god, are you okay Cole?" she asked him quietly.

            "Never better," he replied quietly.

            "Why did you come here, they're going to kill both of us now," she told him.

            "To buy time.  Valentine will come for us, hopefully you will make it that long," he told her.

            "What about you?"

            "The end is near **for us,**" he told her as his voice got deep at the end.

            Rogue fell asleep on the floor exhausted and woke up some time later.  "Cole?  What happened?" she asked as she looked at Cole who looked like someone had used him for a punching bag.

            "Valentine and the others are here, Chaos took exception," he laughed.

            "How?"

            "Starmore's and Xavier's machines can sense mutant presences across the planet.  I've been making the void field as big as I could, then contracting it back into me for a few hours now.  I gave them a signal a blind man could follow," he explained.

            "I told you he was dangerous," Chaos said calmly as he stood with Logan, Pyro, and Wanda at the entrance to a pyramid.  

            "Shut up, we need to buy Apocalypse enough time to gather the genetic material and escape," Logan ordered him.  

            The four of them stared emotionlessly across the desert sand as the Blackbird landed and Vincent, Elena, and the mutants disembarked.  Vincent looked at the four waiting for them and spoke into his headset.  "Apocalypse must still be inside, stick with the plan, try just to knock them out, but kill them if necessary."

            "You should have stayed away while you had the chance!" Logan shouted as the two groups got closer and closer together.  

            "Yeah, we're dumb like that," Scott replied.

            "Now," Vincent spoke into the microphone as everyone sprung into action.  Vincent thought back to his days in ShinRa as a Turk.  He thought back to all the training and preparation that had gone into all of his sniping missions.  He would learn everything he could about the target before killing them, preparation and knowing your enemy's strengths and weakness are 90% of the battle.

            They had all been caught by surprise at the school when they were initially attacked, but given time to prepare, the mutants were a different force entirely.  Vincent ran straight at Chaos, never looking anywhere else until at the last second he leapt over Chaos and the others with the aid of Jean's telekinesis.  Chaos roared as Vincent eluded his attempts to grab him from the air.  "Face me Valentine!" he roared as he turned to chase Vincent.

            "You had best worry about other things," McCoy spoke as he swung a blue furry fist at the demon from behind, knocking the demon to the sand.

            "Give it up kids, remember who taught you everything you know," Logan said as he brought his claws out to face most of the X-Men.  "I know all your moves.  I'm faster and stronger than all of you, run while you can," he growled at them.  "What makes you think you have a chance?"

            "You trained us well Logan," Scott said as he faced off against his old teacher.  

            "You're just kids, I'm gonna gut you," Logan growled as his claws popped out, but he did not advance.

            "Little problem with the 'gutting'?," Murphy asked as he smiled at Logan.  "You see, you got the drop on us before, but out here with no civilians in the way….   Let's just say we have the upper hand.  And I put a stop spell on you, so you aren't going anywhere for another minute or so," Murphy explained.

            "Which gives us enough time to knock you out, and for me to immobilize you," Magneto said as he concentrating on pulling some metal girders to the area from the closest city.

            "Stick with the plan guys!" Lance shouted as he sent a tremor at Wanda and Pyro.  "Now!" he shouted to the others as Wanda and Pyro split up.

            "Go get him you Russian," Bobby said as he covered Colossus's metal form with as much ice as he could.

            Colossus rushed at his dazed former teammate and quickly sucker punched him, knocking him out.

            Meanwhile, Fred, and a Blob powered Rogue pushed their way forward past Wanda's hexes until Gambit and the others with them got a clear shot and hit Wanda.

            "Quickly, subdue them and bring them with us," Magneto ordered as the four horsemen were dealt with.  "Vincent and Elena need us inside," he said as he worked to immobilized Logan and the others.

            Rogue looked to the door of the room she and Cole were being held in as she heard footsteps.  "Cole, someone's coming," she whispered as she checked on Cole.  He had lost some blood, but not enough to warrant the dazed look on his face.

            "S'okay," he whispered.  "It's **Elena**," he added as Elena came into the room with her gun drawn.

            "Elena, get us out of here," Rogue pleaded as Elena crossed the room.

            "Where's Apocalypse?" Elena asked as she examined Rogue's shackles.

            "Waiting to get a drop on the would be rescuer," Apocalypse's voice boomed as a section of wall slid away revealing Apocalypse and a room full of machinery.  "They are mine.  You on the other hand are going to die," Apocalypse threatened Elena.

            The area was silent as Apocalypse stiffened up.  "Elena, get them out of here.  I'll deal with him," Vincent's voice came from behind Apocalypse where the Turk had his gun pointed at his back.

            "Mr. Valentine, you are proving yourself to be a nuisance!" Apocalypse roared as he swung his arm at an impossible angle to knock Vincent back.  "You are nothing to me," he said as he ran at Vincent.

            Vincent moved as fast as his feet would carry him backwards, but was slowed by the effect an unconscious Chaos was having on him.  He fired off a few shots of fire, ice, and lightning magic, but none of them really had an effect on Apocalypse.  

            "That's all you have, your so called elemental magic," Apocalypse laughed as he landed a huge fist to Vincent's midsection.  "It is so easy to negate given the proper knowledge," Apocalypse taunted him.

            "Negate this," Vincent said as he got right up to Apocalypse and fired point blank at Apocalypse's face.  The result was instantaneous, Apocalypse's head snapped back and his body dropped to the ground.  "Elena, you got them out yet?" he asked her as he walked his way over.

            "Almost," she replied as she looked up.  "Look out!" she shouted at Vincent as he eyes widened.

            Vincent was flung against a wall as Apocalypse's swing connected.  "Fool, I am a metamorph.  It will take more than you can muster to kill me," he snorted as he walked over to Elena and knocked her away as well.  "Magneto and the others will be here soon, too bad the two of us will not," he said as he pulled Rogue's shackles from the floor and dragged her with him.  

            "What are you doing?" Cole shouted at him as he watched Apocalypse begin to operate a machine.

            "We are leaving, with her power I can build the ultimate warrior to defeat you and your allies, but today is not the day for my victory," he replied as he hit a switch and a swirling black vortex appeared.  "Goodbye, you young fool," Apocalypse taunted as he disappeared into the portal with Rogue.

            "Cole!" Rogue shouted as the portal closed behind her.

            "Vincent, are you okay," Lance asked as he and the other mutants entered the chamber.

            "Damn, he got away with Rogue," Vincent explained as he rubbed his head where he hit the wall.

            "Cole, are you okay?" Elena asked quietly as she shuffled over to him.  He remained motionless, staring down at the floor.  "Cole?"

            Cole's head snapped up as he strained against the shackles holding him.  His wings made a sickening noise as they pulled free from the poles pinning them to the wall, ripping chunks out, making Cole bleed even more.  "I **am not fine!!´he shouted as he tried to pull his hands from the shackles, cutting his wrists, making them bleed even more.  Elena stepped back in shock as Cole's right hand made a cracking noise and slipped through the shackle in a misshapen mass.  "****I am very far from fine!" he shouted as he planted his foot against the wall and tried to free his other hand.**

            "Calm down Cole," Vincent said as he came over.  Vincent blasted the chain free from the wall with the Agememnon and grabbed Cole by the shoulder.  "We'll find her, Richards probably knows a way to track where he went," Vincent suggested.

            "Valentine, I think we have a big problem here," Murphy said as he tapped Vincent on the shoulder and Cole stormed away to where the portal had formed.  "That portal, have you ever seen something like it?  Because I know I have," Murphy said meaningfully.  

            Vincent searched his memory for a second before his jaw dropped.  "It was a dimensional rift, like Starmore used to make," he realized.  "They're on another world," Vincent said as he closed his eyes.  "There's no way to track those things, only he could do it," Vincent sighed in defeat.

            "So what are you saying? That we cannot find them?" Magneto asked him quietly. 

            "That's exactly what I'm saying.  The portals are random.  Starmore himself could barely control where he went.  We can activate the machine, but the chance in nearly non-existent that we would end up on the right world," Vincent told him.

            "Hopeless.  It is hopeless," Cole whispered as he dropped to all fours on the ground where the portal had been.  

            "There has to be a way, we just need to figure it out," Scott said angrily to Vincent.

            "I'm sorry Scott, but there's nothing I can do," Vincent confronted him roughly.

            "Yes Vincent, **there is nothing you can do**," Cole said with his voice growing deeper and rougher at the end.  "Nothing at **all," Cole continued before his body twisted in pain.**

            "Cole!" Lance, Scott, and the others shouted and went to aid him.

            "Stay back, all of you," Murphy threatened them.  "Turks only please," he ordered as he knelt by Cole.  "Cole, man, what are you doing?"

            "I think it is fairly obvious what he is trying to do," Elena said aloofly.

            "Cole, this is not the way it has to be," Vincent comforted him.  "We'll find another way to get her back, we just need time," Vincent continued.

            "Time?  **Look what he did to Chaos in a short period of time," Cole said through gritted teeth.  "No Vincent, Murphy, Elena.  This is the only way," he said before he began to cough out blood.**

            "As you wish," Vincent said quietly and backed away from the twin quickly.  "Everyone, get ready," he shouted as he pulled out the Agememnon.  

            "For what?" Lance asked.

            "For that," Vincent pointed at the portal that was appearing in front of Cole.

            Cole raised himself to his knees and faced the portal bleeding from old wounds and new ones that sprouted on his body by their own accord.  He raised his mangled right hand at the vortex and screamed," Give her back!" before falling face first to the ground.

            A second later two figures emerged from the vortex.  "Pietro, get her," Vincent ordered as the speedster quickly removed Rogue from Apocalypse's grasp.   "Everyone, hit him with whatever you have left," Vincent ordered as the combined attacks from the mutants forced Apocalypse back through the portal, which abruptly closed.

            "Oh my god, Cole!" Rogue shouted as she made her way to the bloody and battered teen.  "Cole, can you hear me?" she asked as she rolled him over with Murphy's help.  

            "His breathing is very weak, he isn't going to make it," Murphy told her.

            "Can't you just use your cure spells on him?" Lance asked Elena.

            "His void field is going nuts, I can't do anything.  Besides, he is too far gone," Elena said quietly.

            "There's nothing we can do?" Rogue shouted to Vincent.

            "Nothing at all, he knew what he was doing," Vincent said calmly.  

            "But that doesn't mean there's nothing we can do," came a new voice.

            Most of the room whirled around as another wall slid open and four hooded figures came into the room.  "We mean you no harm, just doing what we are told to," the leader explained.

            "Who are you?" Vincent asked.

            "You'll figure it out," another of them laughed.  "Right now, Magneto needs to use a small EMP blast into those four's brain to scramble the nanotech machines that have been making the four of them turn on you," he ordered, pointing at the captives.

            Magneto shrugged and waved his hand, creating a bright flash, then releasing the four of them from their metal prisons.  "Logan, are you okay?" he asked.

            "Peachy," Logan replied as he rubbed some sore spots.

            "See, we mean you no harm," one of the hooded men replied.  "But we need to get down to business now."

            "We have been sent here by Order, one of the four forces of the universe.  Just bear with me, there are Chaos, Order, Eternity, and Infinity, but we need to deal with are Chaos and Order.  Anyway, Order and Chaos are assembling warriors to do a battle for some cosmic reason that they do not want to tell us, but we are here to grab certain people to serve order," the leader explained.

            "In exchange, you will be given what it is you most desire, Order can see into your minds and can tell what it is that will make you happiest in life.  Anyway, the four of you that have been chosen are what we call Ronin, masterless samurai.  You've been fighting for everyone but yourself your entire life, we just need you to do it one more time.  All you have to do is accept the offer," the last one explained.

            The four hooded figures split up, one to Vincent, Chaos, Logan, and Cole's barely moving form each.  "You can smell it, can't you?" the one who went to Logan asked.

            "Yeah, this isn't a trick is it?" Logan asked as he stared into the dark hood and sniffed the air.

            "No, it is not," the figure replied.  

            "Fine, do whatever you need to," Logan replied.  The hooded figure reached out and touched Logan, making him disappear.

            "Who the hell are you?" Chaos snarled at the hooded figure.

            "Maybe now you'll recognize me," the figure said as he pulled back his hood, revealing a black man with a shaved head that no one had ever seen before, save Chaos.

            "This is impossible," Chaos muttered in disbelief. 

            "No, it isn't," the man laughed.

            "Then get on with it," Chaos ordered before the man touched him, making him disappear.

            "Vincent and Cole, you have more to consider when you decide," the leader explained to the two of them.  "You have both been very brutal in your worst moments of life.  You will need to be physically and mentally as you were at those times again," the man explained.

            "Happiness you say," Vincent muttered.  "I agree," he added quickly before disappearing.

            "And what about you Cole?" the final hooded man asked the near death teen.

            "I don't want it anymore," Cole muttered as he looked away from the man.

            "Will he be okay if he goes with you?" Rogue asked the man.

            "Yes, he will be physically fine," the man replied.

            "I do not want to do it anymore!" Cole shouted at the man.  "I would rather die," he added quietly.

            "Cole, you need to go with him, we don't want you to die," Rogue told him.

            "Rogue, leave him be for a minute," Murphy said as he pulled the girl away and crouched by his brother and the man.  "Cole, do you realize who these people are?" Murphy asked him.

            "Yes I do.  I can still use my void field, I know who they are," Cole replied angrily.  "If I go, do you realize that I will have to kill people again?  Use all of my powers to their full potential again," he said loudly.  "**We are sick of it," he added.**

            "Cole, do both of your personalities really want to die here in Egypt," Rogue asked him.

            "Both of my personalities….," Cole muttered to himself.  "Is it worth it?" he asked the man.  

            "More than you could ever imagine," the man told him.

            "This is the last time," Cole told the man before grabbing his shoulder and vanishing.


	79. Canto 10 : The Gift : Verse : 1 : Damon ...

**_The Song of Eternity_**

****

**_Canto 10 : The Gift_**

****

**_Verse 1 : Damon Blackheart_**

****

**_Why do I do the job?_**

**_Because I was trained, I tell myself._**

**_Not because it is right,_**

**_I don't do what is right._**

**_I'm past redemption._**

****

            A tall black man with a shaved head watched from his vantage point by the corner of a building.  The group of young mutants walked along the sidewalk on the opposite side of the road.  He walked at the same pace in the same direction down the opposite side of the street until he sat beside another man on a bench.

            "If I were you, I would walk away," he calmly told the man.  "If by some chance your plan actually worked, the rest of them might kill you," the black man explained.

            "As long as I take one of those genetic freaks with me," the man replied.

            "Let's look at this rationally," the dark man continued.  "If you kill one of them, I will kill you myself before they even get a chance to find out who did it.  More importantly, if you make a move for your gun, you are going to be in a world of pain," the man threatened.

            "Who are you?"

            "Damon Blackheart, one of the Turks.  You have about one minute to get out of here before get angry and take it out on you," Damon told the man.  "You better get moving, I might feel like chasing you down if I still see you after a minute," Damon said as the man took off.  Damon watched the man as the man ran off and the young mutants were none the wiser.  "Good," he told himself before getting up and heading towards the town's main street.

            He stopped at the Valentine Private Investigators office, unlocked the door, and entered.  He took up a chair behind one of the three large desks and picked up a newspaper.  He stopped reading after a few minutes when the door opened.  "I was wondering when you'd show up today," he told Elena.

            "It was my morning off, and I do not come into work on my morning off, for any reason," she explained before sitting at her own desk.  "How'd the job go?" she asked him.  

            "Fine, the guy ran off with a little persuasion," Damon told her.  "Valentine won't be back until late Friday.  He called earlier," he informed her.

            "I guess that leaves us a little time to get better acquainted," Elena told him.

            "No.  Don't ask whatever questions you're thinking of.  You know I can't answer the important ones," he warned her.

            "Fine, what can you tell me then?  About after the four Ronin disappeared from Apocalypse's base," she pried.

            "They were taken to a planet where Order and Chaos were waiting for them to battle.  Once there Eternity and Infinity did a job on everyone, making them as powerful as they once were, or could ever be.  One of the biggest changes was the remerging of Chaos and Vincent, since Vincent was always more powerful with the demon in him.  They set it up like a bracketed battle royal.  Everyone battled to the death, but was resurrected and given time to recover afterwards until there were two combatants left.  Luckily the one representing Order and the one representing Chaos fought to a stalemate, so the universe is stable.  Good thing the one representing Order knew all along that it was the only way to keep the world as it was.  With their commitments to the universe fulfilled, they were all sent back, given their greatest desire, whether they knew it consciously or not," Damon told her.

            "So, what exactly were you given?" she asked him.

            "It's fairly obvious Elena," he laughed.  "A long time ago, before your time, I lived a normal human life.  Then Jenova landed and attacked the planet.  The part of history that you don't know about is how someone was battling Jenova, distracting her when the Cetra called upon Holy.  That someone was me.  I sold my soul and body to the devil to become the demon Chaos and save the planet.  After Jenova's defeat, the Cetra imprisoned me until Hojo put me into Valentine.  By then, Chaos and I were one.  Turns out that the devil kept my body around, so Eternity and Infinity nabbed it, put my own mind in it, and destroyed Chaos's mind.  So, I'm totally human now.  Valentine and I no longer feel each other's pain or thoughts.  And what's more," he whispered.  "I have total control over the demon's body to use as I wish," he explained as his hand transformed to a claw.

            "So what are you doing here?  Why not start a new life somewhere?" Elena asked him.

            "I do not know.  I know people in this town, but I don't know if I will stay here," he mused.

            "The kids here could really use your protection," she told him.

            "The kids," he laughed," will be fine.  They can handle themselves."

            "But what do you think the right thing is for you to do?" she asked him.

            "The right thing is to stay and help them and all of you.  But I have spent the last million years as a demon.  What makes you think I will do the right thing?  What makes you think Cole or Vincent will either?" he asked her.


	80. Canto 10 : The Gift : Verse : 2 : Vincen...

**_The Song of Eternity_**

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**_Canto 10 : The Gift_**

****

**_Verse 2 : Vincent Valentine_**

****

**_Second chances,_**

**_Third chances,_**

**_Fourth and fifth ones even._**

**_There comes a time when you know_**

**_You are on your last one._**

****

            Vincent waited in the kitchen at Four Freedoms Plaza as Ben Grimm and Johnny Storm cooked up breakfast in a most unorthodox way.

            "Cut it out ya damn matchstick, you're gonna burn the food," Grimm yelled at his friend who was making flames dance across the skillet.  "Just keep the flames going under the pan," he shouted.

            "Fine, I remember when you used to be fun Ben," Johnny laughed as he sat down by Vincent, keeping one hand pointing at the pan to cook the scrambled eggs.

            "Wouldn't it be easier to actually use the stove," Vincent asked them.

            "Where's the fun in that?" Ben laughed as he kept cooking.

            "So what's the deal, you were out talking with the Avengers and Reed all day yesterday, leaving me and Ben here to watch after Franklin.  There was some news about a battle up in Bayville last week, but Stone blacked out the media pretty quick," Johnny asked him.

            "A couple interesting developments," Vincent explained as he sipped his coffee.  "It turns out that Logan, Pyro, Chaos, and Wanda were all taken by Apocalypse and brainwashed into his 'four horsemen'.  To make a long story short, they attacked the school with some more cloned Dark Riders and took Rogue and Cole to Egypt.  We followed them by tracking Cole's void field and attacked Apocalypse's stronghold, subduing Logan and the others, but Apocalypse escaped into a portal, taking Rogue with him.  Cole was in pretty bad shape after being tortured a little by Chaos and Logan, but used his power to recreate the portal and keep it open long enough to grab Rogue and send Apocalypse back through it," Vincent told them.

            "All that happened last week?" Johnny asked him.

            "Thursday and Friday, but things got bizarre after we had rescued Rogue.  Four people appeared, they were Cole, myself, Logan, and Chaos from a few month in the future, but no one really knew that until they revealed themselves, which was after they sent Logan, Chaos, Cole, and I away participate in a battle between Order and Chaos on another planet and dimension," Vincent explained.

            "Who's'a'what now?" Ben exclaimed.

            "Cosmic battle, rather not talk about it.  It is over now anyway.  The important thing is that we were each given what is supposed to make us happiest in life, whether we knew what it was or not.  Damon got his old body from before he became Chaos back.  Logan got Xavier brought back to life, which is what I'm here to help clear up.  I got the complete removal of Jenova and Mako from my body, reverting me to the man I was before I started working for ShinRa.  And Cole…, he finally got down to the point where there's only 1 mind left in his head," Vincent explained.

            "So they can just bring people back to life like that?" Ben asked him.

            "No, they explained it to Cole, the person's spirit can't have moved on already, so you need to revived in a period of 1 day to maybe few years," Vincent told them.

            "Nothing we can really do with that info anyway, since I'm guessing no mortal has those powers," Johnny shrugged.

            "Okay, the eggs are done, you better eat quick Valentine if you want to make your meeting with Strange," Ben reminded him as the three of them ate their breakfast.

            Later Vincent pulled his car up to the familiar mansion and walked to the front door.  "You're a little late," Strange told him as he opened the door before Vincent could knock.  "So I gather whatever it was that Eternity, Infinity, and the other celestial beings took you for ended fine?" Strange asked as he led Vincent down the hallway.

            "More or less, how did you know about that?" Vincent asked him.

            "With the amount of arcane objects I have, I get a general idea when big things are going on, even when I can't find out exactly what is happening," Strange explained.  He stopped in a library and shrugged.  "But that is neither here nor there, what can I help you with?"

            "When we first met, you took me to the lifestream.  I need to go back to talk to someone," Vincent told him.

            "The woman, Aeris?  You think she is still there?" Strange asked as he retrieved the Eye of Agamotto from a secret panel in the wall.

            "I don't know, but I need to be sure," Vincent replied as Strange created a yellow glow over the two of them.  When the glow disappeared Vincent and Strange were alone in the empty void of the lifestream.

            "Vincent, I had a feeling you would come back," Aeris said as she appeared in front of Vincent.  "I can take it from here Stephan, you can go," she told Strange who disappeared immediately.  "So, what is on your mind Vincent?" she asked him.

            "How did you know that Chaos and I would be separated?" he asked her.

            "Why are you asking me this, you could always ask Cole, he understands as well as I do," Aeris chuckled as she walked away and motioned for Vincent to follow her.  She snapped her fingers and the surrounding immediately changed to a breezy green meadow.  

            "There is an understanding in the house that we do not talk about things like that with each other," Vincent told her.

            "Okay, I can respect that," she told him.  "How did I know?  All I did was listen to the 'Song of Eternity' as Travis Starmore once called it," she told him as she sat down on the grass.

            "What does it tell you?"

            "It tells me about whoever I try to think about since I am dead.  What you want to know is, what is it telling you.  It is guesswork at best Vincent.  You'll understand it once it happens, but even Starmore did not understand everything that it said," she explained.

            "Why do I hear it now?" Vincent asked as he sat down beside her.

            "If you've been near death enough, then it just happens to people, most go a little mad if they try to understand it, so they try to ignore it.  I'm guessing it was pretty bad out there, when you and Chaos merged again to fight Sephiroth," she said as she looked at him.

            "Yeah, I had to kill my own son again," Vincent looked down at the grass.

            "Don't worry, it wasn't really him, just a puppet used by Chaos and Order for their games," she soothed him.

            "I know, but he almost killed me.  I don't like having done what I have done," he muttered.

            "Cheer up a little Vincent.  You are alive, free of Jenova cells, Mako infusions, and demons.  You can start to live a normal life.  Your mind will finally start to let go of the things that you did in the past now that all the Mako is out of your system.  The Mako poisoning was what really made you so moody and morbid all the time in Avalanche, making you obsess about Lucretia and all," Aeris told him.

            "There comes a time when you know you are on your last one," Vincent chuckled.

            "See, like I told you, don't worry about the words of the song, just the feeling that accompanies it," Aeris patted him on the shoulder.

            "Why are you still here?  In the empty lifestream and all," Vincent asked her.

            "I stayed behind to watch over you, Elena, and Damon.  I knew things would get strange for you three after Meteor, so I wanted to make sure you all did okay," she smiled.  "Time passes much faster here for me, the times that you were all in stasis went by in an instant.  Once you three live out your natural lives I'm going to move on, but until then you can come and talk to me whenever you want," she told him.

            "What time is it now?  I need to be somewhere at 5," Vincent said with a bit of panic.

            "Don't worry, time has been moving normal with you in here," Aeris laughed.  "I wouldn't let you miss tonight for the world," she added.

            "How do you know about it already?  We didn't even know about it until a few days ago," Vincent asked her.

            "There isn't much to do here Vincent.  That little town of yours is a very interesting place so I look in every now and then.  Time for you to get going, break a leg," she laughed as Vincent faded from the lifestream.


	81. Canto 10 : The Gift : Verse 3 : Elena Ma...

**_The Song of Eternity_**

****

**_Canto 10 : The Gift_**

****

**_Verse 3: Elena Marshall_**

****

**_Trying to build yourself a new life,_**

**_You think it is hard,_**

**_But then something unexpected happens,_**

**_And it doesn't seem so bad anymore._**

****

            "I'll see you tomorrow Elena.  Vincent, the twins and me are gonna be unavailable tonight, so you need to watch Xavier's kids," Damon told Elena as he ducked out of the office at 4.

            "Screw it then, I'm going home to relax," Elena muttered as she locked up the office and headed for her car.  She started up the engine and headed to her apartment, pondering her situation as she drove.  

            Her mind was torn between two ideas of what her future could be.  Following Vincent's, Damon's, and Cole's departures and returns, things had changed for the Turks.  She never nailed down which one of them it was for, possibly for all three of them, but no one outside of the young mutants, the Avengers, and a handful of other people could remember what the Turks looked like.  Part of her wanted to just pack up her car and leave the town to get a fresh start somewhere.  But the other part of her was true to the Turks, wanting to stick by them until the end.

            She heard her cell-phone ring and snapped out of her thoughts to pick it up.  "Elena," she answered it.

            "This is Logan, I called Valentine, Damon, and the twins, but they all told me to talk to you instead and hung up on me," Logan explained.

            "What is the problem?" she asked him as she stopped at a red light.

            "The kids are wanting to go out tonight, but Stone said he'll call in the military unless they have an escort from one of you five as well," Logan told her.

            "They wander the town here every night.  Why is this any different?" she asked him.

            "They aren't staying in Bayville tonight.  Evan has been hyping them all week about some new band playing in Boston with a bunch of songs from off the internet.  Ororo and I will be going with them and Xavier will be standing by to do mind tricks if the situation warrants it.  So what do you say?"

            "Fine, a need a night out anyway," she agreed.  "When are we leaving?"

            "As soon as you can get here, the show starts at 8, so we need to leave in the next hour if we want to stop at a place to eat before the thing starts," Logan told her.

            "I'll be at the mansion in half an hour," Elena told Logan before turning off her phone and parking at her apartment.

            "Thanks for helping out Elena," Ororo greeted her as she stepped out of her car, finally out of her usual blue suit, wearing a pair of jeans and a sweater.

            "No problem.  How have things been here with both of them?" Elena asked, nodding at Xavier and Magneto.

            "Quite well, they have agreed to work together now that all of our lives are out in the open," Ororo told her.

            "That's good," Elena agreed.  "So how many of them are going?" she asked as she looked over the teens gathering and piling into cars.

            "Lance is driving Kitty, Rogue, Pietro, and John in his jeep.  Scott is taking Evan, Kurt, Jean, and Alex.  Logan is taking his motorcycle and I will be taking my car," Ororo explained.  

            "Fine, what kind of a band is this anyway?" Elena asked as Evan skateboarded over.

            "They do a little bit of everything Elena.  Their stuff has been everywhere on the internet since last weekend, but no one I've talked to has heard of them before then.  Here, you can listen to this on the way up if you want.  I made a bunch of CDs from the songs they put up on the internet," he explained as he handed her a CD.

            "Thank you, let's get going," Elena said as she headed back to her car for the hour and half drive to Boston.      

            Once onto the highway outside Bayville Elena put the CD in and started listening to the band.  "Catchy," she said as she listed intently.  "I could have sworn I've heard them before though," she mused as she kept driving on to Boston.

            "So far so good," Elena said as she sat down at the club's bar with Logan and Ororo.  "I figured someone would recognize us," she added.

            "But why would we be in Boston.  We should be so afraid and outcast we never leave our homes," Storm laughed.

            "Either that or Chuck is doing a little bit of a mind job on everyone here," Logan pointed out as he grabbed a beer.  "I personally don't care.  So long as we don't have to fight our way out of here."

            "I like that reasoning," Elena agreed, lifting her glass from the bar.

            They got quiet as the lights in the club dimmed.  "Here we go," Logan chuckled.  The crowd got quiet as several shadows began to move around on stage.

            "Good evening everyone!" one of the shadows spoke through his microphone.  "We are Split Infinity and this is our first live show, so let's get this thing going," he said before a guitar, drums, and bass broke in.  After their first song ended he spoke to the crowd again.  "We only have an hour here tonight, so I'll cut down on the talking and we'll keep rocking," he laughed as they kept playing.

            "They're pretty good," Elena said to Logan and Ororo.

            "Yes, something is bugging me though, but I can't put my finger on it," Ororo admitted.

            "I'll be damned," Logan said as he almost broke out laughing.

            "What's so funny?" Elena asked him.

            "That's why they were so busy tonight," he said as he tried to hold back his laughter.

            "What are you… talking… about?" Elena said slowly before she took her glasses out of her purse and looked at the stage.  "Oh, my, god," she muttered as she got a clear view of the four men on stage.

            "Is that….?" Ororo asked Logan.

            "Yes, surprised it took you two this long to catch on," Logan joked as he sipped his beer. 

Elena blinked and shook her head, not believing what she was seeing on the stage.  On either side of the stage the bassist, a tall black man, and the guitar player, a teenage redhead were playing with a lot of energy, running back and forth, putting on a good show.  At the edge of the stage by the crowd the lead singer, a brother, possibly a twin of the guitar player was leaning off halfway into the crowd with no shirt so everyone could see an impressive set of tattoos.  Finally her eyes drifted back to the drummer who had also removed his shirt and was sweating profusely as he beat out the fast pace.

"This is unexpected," Elena said.

"Yeah, we'll have to talk to them after they're done playing," Logan said seriously before leaning back to watch the show.

Later, when the band was done playing it's set and taking down their amps, the drummer and bassist showed up at the other end of the bar and each got a beer.  "Quite a show you four put on up there," Elena commented as she, Logan, and Ororo took seats at stools by the musicians.

"So you three saw the whole show?" the drummer asked as he sipped his beer.

"The whole thing.  Brought ten of the kids with us too," Logan told him, holding back a chuckle.

"Well… shit..," the bassist, Damon swore before taking a long drink from his beer.

"So this is just a freakish coincidence that you guys showed up here tonight?" Vincent asked as he looked to where Cole and Murphy were talking to the young mutants.  Cole was white as a ghost, but Murphy was handling it well.

"Yeah, lucky you," Logan laughed.

"You never let on that you could play drums or anything like that," Elena said to Vincent.

"I have many skills from my life before the Turks and Avalanche," Vincent told her as he squinted at the mutants talking to Cole.  "You drugged up Rogue before bringing her here," he stated.

"Yes, we have a supply of the drug from the government and McCoy is working to make sure it is safe for people with conditions like hers," Ororo explained.  

            They settled into a silence as Cole quickly walked over to them.  "I'm going to take the stuff back to the warehouse," he told Vincent nervously.

            "Are you okay?" Vincent asked him as he studied his face.

            "Yeah," Cole replied.

            "Let him go Valentine," Damon suggested.  "Just don't do anything stupid out there kid," Damon told him before handing him some keys.

            As Cole walked away Elena talked to Vincent.  "You're using the safehouse to store your stuff?"

            "Yeah, so what?" Vincent shrugged.  "Hopefully we won't need it again," he replied.

            "So Valentine, what's the big deal?  You four just got yourselves erased from the mind of the populous, then you start a rock band?  What gives?" Logan asked him.

            "It was the thing to do at the time," Vincent replied before getting up.  "I'm going with Cole," he said as he walked after the youth.

            "I'll get Murphy, you go ahead," Damon said as Vincent passed him.

            "What's wrong with him?" Elena asked Damon once Cole and Vincent were gone.

            "Both of them are still adjusting to what happened to them recently," Damon told her.  "This is the best thing we could come up with to keep them busy and sober," Damon explained.

****the deal with the songs they played is as follows:

This is a parallel universe, so most bands and songs from our earth do not exist there.

(I really just don't want them to be a cover band)

Songs played in no particular order (not complete list either, just the ones that will probably be featured in future chapters): 

Fall Back Down – Rancid

Cailin – Unwritten Law

New America – Bad Religion

Leap of Faith – Suicide Machines

Gone- Bouncing Souls

True Believers – Bouncing Souls

Sound Siren- Unwritten Law

Seein' Red- Unwritten Law


	82. Canto 10 : The Gift : Verse 4 :Moving On

_**The Song of Eternity**_

_**Canto 10 : The Gift**_

_**Verse 4: Moving On**_

_**One can only live in the past for so long,**_

_**All wounds fade and heal given enough time.**_

_**They have had enough time.**_

Elena stared into the fireplace at Xavier's mansion. She frowned as she suppressed a shiver from the cold outside. Autumn had passed and winter had arrived. It had been about two months since Vincent and the others had disappeared and miraculously returned. Vincent, Damon, and the twins had been playing at clubs in Boston Friday and Saturday nights since then, leaving Elena the chore of watching the young mutants more times that she wanted to.

Things had calmed down around Bayville, the main populous of humans had accepted the mutants, but still were a bit wary. The children's high school was holding a dance and Xavier and Magneto felt it was important for the kids to get back to a sense of normalcy... and behave themselves. Elena was sitting in front of a fire at the mansion, in a long black dress with the back cut out wishing she had a gun on her. She was nominated by Vincent to help chaperone the dance and keep the mutant and non-mutant kids in line while Vincent and the others were at their gig in Boston.

"Cheer up Elena, what else did you have planned tonight?" Ororo laughed as she sat down in a chair by Elena. She was wearing a dark blue dress with her hair up to chaperone as well.

"Anything besides my job," Elena sighed as she looked up at the ceiling. "It seems this is all I do anymore," she muttered as she glanced at some of the teens running around in various states of dress, some of them were going to the dance, while others were not, and pestering the ones who were. "They better start heading out soon, the dance starts in half an hour," she said as she glanced down at her watch.

Just then the doorbell rang, Xavier and Magneto answered the door, acting as good hosts. "Ororo, your escort is here," Xavier called over.

"See you around Elena," Ororo chuckled as she walked to the front door and exited.

"Who the hell?" Elena swore as she and some of the kids went to various windows to see who was escorting their mentor. She squinted through a bit of falling snow and recognized the dark shaven head. "Damon?" she asked herself in surprise. "But he's supposed to be in Boston," she thought to herself as she turned around, bumping into a tall someone in a black tuxedo. "You...?"

"Shall we?" Vincent asked as he offered her a bouquet of blue flowers, matching her dress.

"What's going on?" Elena asked as she lost her cool Turk demeanor and was obviously flustered.

"We called off the show earlier in the week and figured this would be a good surprise," Vincent explained. "So, are you ready to go?" he asked again as he nodded at the bouquet of flowers.

"You have some nerve, Vincent Valentine," Elena said as she stormed to the door. "Well? Aren't you going to open the door for me?" she demanded as she laughed to herself that she was the one making Vincent lose his cool now.

Murphy walked into the main doors of the hotel that the dance was starting at in fifteen minutes. He wore a pair of black Dickies and one of those T-shirts that are supposed to look like a tuxedo top. He made his way through the crowds as he noted the mutants that he was there to keep watch on. He stopped off for a glass of punch to be stopped by Lance and Kitty. "Murphy, why are you here?" Lance asked him.

"We called off the show," he explained as he pointed out Damon and Vincent at other places in the crowd.

"Aren't you here with anyone?" Kitty asked him, raising an eyebrow.

"Ha, not a chance. When the time comes that I eventually return to the world where me and Cole came from, there's someone there waiting for me," Murphy laughed.

"Speaking of which, is Cole coming?" Kitty asked.

"He never was one for parties like this, but who knows. The boy's changed over the last couple months," Murphy explained as shrugged his shoulders and drank his punch.

_20 minutes before the dance._ Rogue was in a foul mood. They had run out of the power suppressing drug the day before and had been unable to synthesize more before the dance. "Not like I had someone to go with, or anything to wear," she muttered as she stomped through the halls of the mansion. Xavier, Magneto, McCoy, and Creed had stayed at the mansion, letting Storm and the others take care of security. Madrox, the source of her irritation, was the only other teenager in the mansion. "Jamie! I am gonna break all of your necks if you don't get me that TV remote now!" she screamed.

She spun around to the giggling 13 year old. "I hid it in your room," he laughed as he ran off before she could give chase.

"I am gonna hurt that boy some time," she muttered as she went to her door and opened it in shock. "What in tha' hell?" she swore as she took in her surroundings. Her room was exactly how she had left it 10 minutes ago, with one small change. Laid across her bed were a beautiful red dress, a bouquet of white roses, and a folded piece of paper. She opened the piece of paper and read it to herself.

_Rogue,_

_Outside. Five minutes or we are going to be late._

"So how long have you had this planned?" she asked Vincent as they sat together at a table sipping water.

"What do you mean?" Vincent replied as he studied her frustrated face.

"Even with the damn Jenova and mako out of you, you are still a cryptic bastard," she swore at him. "All of this. How long have you and Damon been planning this?"

"What makes you think I planned any of this in advance?"

"Deep in your mind, you are still a cold, logical Turk Vincent," she told him, with an unamused look on her face. "I know you more than anyone ever could, you wrote the book on my training. You assessed this situation, calculated all your risks, made back up plans," she rattled everything off on her fingers.

"I'm sorry?" Vincent replied as he felt something he had not in quite some time, color rising to his cheeks.

"Damn right you should be," Elena said as she stared angrily at him. "You and your damn Turk training," she swore as she stood up. "Get up," she ordered the surprised Vincent, who complied.

"I'll leave...," Vincent apologized as he started to shuffle his way away from the table.

"The hell you will, get out here and dance with me. We should have done this a long time ago," she laughed as she grabbed his hand and pulled him out as the first song started playing, doing something that no one had done in ages, bringing Vincent Valentine to a full blush.

"So, this was all the work of Vincent?" Ororo asked as she and Damon stood outside the hotel.

"Yeah, he finally let his heart take control of his head and went after Elena," Damon nodded. "All his plan, more or less."

"And why are we outside?" Storm asked him.

"Dance doesn't start for another 5 minutes, we watch to make sure no nuts get in until then and we have to, cough, then we can go in," Damon coughed as he tried to hide something.

"Well, you may have your secret. Whatever it may be," she chucked. "So, what was your world life, before Chaos?" she asked the enigma before her, trying to make small talk.

"It was...very simple," Damon replied as he looked up at the stars. "We were a very simple society, nomads, our land was a desert during my time. We lived in peace until that bitch Jenova came. Then everything went downhill and we had to ally with the Cetra," he scowled when he said their name. "I gave up everything for them, and this is the gratitude they show me," he shook his head.

"Do you regret the choices you made? Would you change them if you could?" she asked him genuinely.

He paused for a moment before shaking his head. "No. If I had not done it, no one could have. You have to do what you think is right and hope for the best," he mused as he closed his eyes.

"Very philosophical of you, Mr. Blackheart," Ororo smiled.

"Tell anyone and I'll kill you, Mrs. Monroe," he joked as he heard a vehicle approaching.

"Is that...?" Ororo asked him as they recognized the driver and passenger.

"Yep," Damon smiled.

"Good for them, and its Miss Monroe, Mr. Blackheart," she replied as she headed into the hotel, leaving another Turk speechless.

Rogue was on an emotional rollercoaster. Anger, surprise, happiness, fear, more happiness, and now shock. She had changed into her dress and thrown on make-up in what she considered to be an impossibly short time before rushing outside to her date. They had broken the speed limit nearly the entire drive to the hotel, but Rogue just had closed her eyes and prayed that they'd make it. They had walked in the hotel door just as Damon was giving out orders to two of Stone's soldiers that were on loan for the night for added security.

"Better hurry up you two, the music is starting," Damon told them as they walked past him towards the ballroom.

"Shall we," her date grabbed her hand as they wove their way through the tables to the dance floor.

The music started the second they stepped on the floor, as if by fate, Rogue thought. She sighed and wrapped her arms around her partner as a few tears started running down her face.

"What's the matter?" Cole asked as he looked down at the teenager in his arms.

"Nothing, this is just so fast and I thought I'd never experience anything like this," she explained as she wiped away the last of her tears. "Why all the last minute stuff anyway?" she asked him as she looked up into his eyes.

"I'm not one for being direct really," Cole admitted as he looked away. "I almost didn't even do it," he told her.

"Well...I'm glad you did," Rogue told him after a minute of silence as they continued dancing.

Murphy sat up on the back of a chair in the back of the room, stifling laughter. Vincent, Cole, and Damon were being dragged along the dance floor like little puppy dogs. "Ah, dangerous Turks, very dangerous," he chucked as the wiped away tears from laughing so hard. He almost didn't notice the young woman in the pink dress sit down in the chair next to him.

"Why aren't you out there enjoying yourself?" the girl asked him with big green eyes.

"You know how it is, some people aren't really meant for this kind of a scene," Murphy shrugged. "But you know how it is, don't you Aeris?" he chuckled at her.

"Very perceptive of you Murphy," Aeris replied as she looked out at Vincent and the others. "How do you know me?"

"Flower girl, pink dress, all of the stories from Vincent, Elena, and Damon. Not the mention that being partially transparent is a dead giveaway," he said as he waved his hand and it went right through her.

"Cut that out," she told him. "Why are you not enjoying yourself like the others?"

"I am enjoying myself just fine, seeing them happy," Murphy sighed as he explained. "I really just want them and everyone else to be happy," he smiled as he looked at the flower girl.

"Oh, you have someone waiting for you," Aeris realized.

"Bingo," Murphy chucked. "And as fun as this is, I can't wait to get back," he admitted.

"She is a lucky woman," Aeris nodded.

"Yeah, I just hope they can keep it together around here without me when my time comes," Murphy said solemnly.

The dance was almost over and the band had just announced that it was time for their last song. Everyone seemed to be having fun, a few humans had even danced with some of the mutants, but no violence occurred.

"A pretty successful night, no incid-," Vincent was cut off when Elena put her fingers up against his lips.

"Shhh," Elena quieted him. "Vincent, why did you wait so long to do this?" Elena asked the man who went pale.

"I am not used to being normal again," Vincent said nervously.

"Bullshit," Elena swore as she held him tight. "You are Vincent Valentine, you adapt. What is the real reason?" she asked as she looked up at him.

Vincent stayed silent as he looked into her eyes. "I was afraid of being human again. Afraid of living. Afraid of loving. Afraid of rejecti-," he stopped talking as his lips unexpectedly met Elena's.

After the kiss broke, Elena smiled back up at Vincent. "You don't have to be afraid anymore."

Cole had been mostly silent all night as he danced with Rogue and occasionally talked to classmates. Rogue on the other hand had been talking up a storm about everything, and now with the last song of the night playing, she had moved on to the subject of the band.

"So how do you know how to play guitar?" she asked him.

"Just something I picked up a while ago," he replied.

"Cool," she smiled. "I do have a pretty big question for you about one of your songs anyway," she told him.

"Go ahead," he nodded.

"The one song, Cailin, where did you dig up the name?" she asked him, studying his face.

"I knew her once....before I came to this world. We had a relationship," he responded.

"You are really good at not lying, but not telling the whole truth either, you know that," she responded as she noticed his eye twitch. "I've had these dreams for a while now, of things that are so fantastic and wonderful. They are about me...and yet they aren't," she mused as she looked up at his face. "Rogue is just a name I use, in case you haven't guessed. My real name is Cailin," she told him as his face got white as a sheet.

"I did not know," his voice cracked.

"There are a lot of things you don't know," she smiled. "I know all about you, I just didn't realize it until recently," she looked at him as she brought her lips close to his ear. "I won't tell anyone though. Travis, I promise, I'll keep your secret," she whispered in his ear.

He stumbled back from her as if struck by lightning. "I must go," he said hastily as he backed away, looking around him as if the walls were alive and going to get him.

"I'll be here when you need me," she told him as she looked down in sadness, as he quickly walked to the hotel exit and hopped in his car and sped off into the night.


	83. Canto 10 : The Gift : Verse 5 : Redempti...

_**The Song of Eternity**_

_**Canto 10 : The Gift**_

_**Verse 5: Redemption**_

_**Fear is a powerful emotion,**_

_**But love is equally as strong.**_

_**What happens when you haven't**_

_**loved or feared for most of your life?**_

_**What if death was all you knew?**_

"What do you mean he ran off?" Vincent asked Rogue as people started filing out of the hotel. His head was still spinning from the kiss with Elena, and now he had to deal with Cole running away from the dance.

"He just left, said he had to go," Rogue told him quietly. She kept the real reason for Cole's escape to herself.

"Take it easy Valentine," Murphy said as he put a hand on Vincent's shoulder. "I'll take her home and track Cole down," he assured Vincent. "Besides, I'm sure you want to get back to Elena," he chuckled.

Back at the mansion, the kids were pulling in after a fun night at the dance. Logan and Ororo waited at the door with Damon as they watched the last car pull up the driveway. "So why is the wrong brother bringing Rogue back?" Logan frowned as he saw Murphy open the door for her and walk her up to the mansion.

"No idea, Cole bolted for the door at the end of the last song," Damon explained before Rogue walked past them into the mansion. "Get anything out of her Murphy?"

"Nothing," Murphy lied as he frowned back out at the night sky as he pulled out and lit a cigarette.

"Aren't you a little young for that?" Logan said as he sliced it in two.

"Do that again and you'll regret it old man," Murphy said as he produced another cigarette and lit it with magic this time. "I gotta go find Cole. Get some rest Damon, I have a feeling some of us are gonna be missing watch duty tomorrow," he said as he walked to his car and waved goodbye.

"Damn kid," Logan laughed as he went inside the mansion leaving Ororo and Damon alone.

"Well that was an interesting night," Ororo mused as she glanced at the car's fading headlights. "It is going to rain tonight," she said as she looked up at the sky.

"Must be handy, knowing the weather before it happens," Damon laughed.

"It has its perks. I'll see you around Damon," she replied as she kissed his cheek and left him alone on the doorstop.

"What the hell is happening around here?" Damon swore as he rubbed his face and went to his car.

Murphy was nervous. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been this nervous. He was sucking down his cancer sticks pretty fast and didn't show any signs of slowing down as he had to turn on the windshield wipers and slow down his driving some because of the rain.

His thoughts drifted back to the drive back with Rogue. _So...what'd you do to spook Cole like that anyway?_ When she didn't reply he just kept talking. _Fine, don't tell me, I just want to figure out where my brother went._

_I told him that I knew the truth._

_The truth, eh? What truth are we talking about here?_ He had asked her as he tried to think what 'truth' the young girl could think she knew that would scare his brother like that.

_The truth about the two of you and me._ _The **whole **truth._

_Oh...that truth._ He had replied as his knuckles went white from gripping the wheel. _Out of curiosity's sake, why in god's name did you think it was a good idea to tell him that you knew?_ He questioned her angrily. _The kid was just getting back to normal and then you had to go and drop that on him._

_He can't move on by ignoring his past. He has to confront it, and me before he can be free._

_When did you figure this all out?_

_Back when we saw you guys at your first show it started. After that song 'Cailin'. I've had dreams of the past since then, explaining things to me. Do you know who and what I am?_

_Yeah. You are her. At least part of you is or was. Cole knew it too, but was too afraid, stubborn, or dumb to make his move before now. _Murphy told her as they pulled through the mansion gates and drove up to the front in silence.

"What are you going to do?" a woman's voice asked Murphy from the passenger seat.

"You need to stop fucking doing that," he swore as he swerved out of surprise. "Almost gave me a damn heart attack Aeris," he said as he glanced at the transparent woman. "I'm going to talk to the nut and see what's going on," he told her angrily as he pulled the car over to the side of the road. "Fancy filling me in on where he is, or are you just here to chat?"

Vincent drove his car back to Elena's apartment slowly as he contemplated the night's events in his mind. He had finally decided to make a move on Elena, and she had kissed him. After that Cole had ran away from the hotel following a confrontation with Rogue.

"Are you even listening to me?" Elena asked him as she grinned at the gunslinger.

"I am sorry," he told her.

"It's okay," she laughed. "You need to learn to trust those two and let them handle things on their own," she told him.

"Those two... couldn't handle themselves against a 12 year old girl without an international incident," Vincent replied as he rolled his eyes.

"Was that a joke? From Mr. Stoneface hardass Turk?" Elena laughed. "You've changed a lot since the Jenova and mako were taken out of you," she added.

"Yes, I have."

"Still as quiet as ever though," she laughed as Vincent pulled the car up to the curb.

Vincent shook his head as he walked around the car, opened the door, and helped Elena out of the car. He walked behind her up to the door to her apartment. "Well, I hope you had a good time," he told her as she unlocked the door. "I need to get out there and-," he was cut off as Elena spoke.

"Would you like to come inside?"

He closed his eyes as the cold rain washed over him as he flew straight up. He had run from the hotel the second after Rogue had broke the news to him. _Maybe the cold can make me feel better_. He finally coasted back to the ground after some time. He had no idea how long he had been flying. The wings had ripped through his tuxedo the second he left the hotel. He collapsed to his knees and let the numbing water wash over him.

"There you are," a feminine voice broke through his thoughts. Cole paused for a second then opened his eyes. He looked up at the woman in front of him. "What are you doing out here in the rain?" she asked him.

"Leave me alone," he said as he wrapped his arms around himself.

"What could you possibly hope to accomplish? Coming out here in the rain?" she smiled at him. She shook her head when he refused to reply. "You need to get over this, you know?" she told him as she kneeled beside him. He still refused to acknowledge her. "Fine, be that way," she pouted. "I'll let him try to reason with you," she told him as she walked back to the car at the side of the road.

"Get the hell away from me Murph," he growled as he sensed his twin approaching him. His eyes narrowed as he looked over to his brother who had taken a seat in the cold mud beside him. "Leave me alone," he muttered as he closed his eyes tightly to hold back the tears.

"Yeah, well.... I can't," Murphy told him. "You see, I only have another month and a half to get you and your shit straight before I leave this place," he confessed.

"...the hell you talking about?" Cole replied.

Murphy sighed as he leaned back resting his elbows on the wet ground. "You didn't think I've be able to stick around here forever did you? They gave me until the end of the year to get you sorted out," Murphy explained. "So, on with the show. Why did you run away from her?"

"She said she knew I was Starmore. She said she knew the truth about you. She said," he gulped," she knew the truth about herself."

"So...fucking...what?" Murphy scoffed at him. "So what if she knows? She hasn't gone around blaring it to everyone, has she? You want to know what your problem is?" Murphy asked him as he stood up. "You are afraid. Afraid that you might quit feeling sorry for yourself and that you might be happy again. You told me once, that you did not want to force yourself on her because of your past, but you are too stubborn to even realize that she wants this too," Murphy said as he walked back to the car. "I'm sick and tired of trying to reason with you people. I finally got Valentine fixed, and now all I have left to do is take care of you before I can leave here. Now get your shit together before I have to knock some sense into you," he swore as he hopped back in the car and drove away.

Cole sat there a while in the cold rain as he thought about the events of the night. Finally a voice broke into this head. "You gonna go after her?" the transparent woman from earlier asked.

"I don't want you interfering anymore Aeris," Cole replied coldly. "You tell Murphy that it goes the same for him," Cole told her as he stood up and took flight into the sky.

_You can only run for so long Cole_, Aeris's voice came into his mind even as he flew. _What are you going to do when you run out of places to run?_

"Leave me alone!" he screamed as he flew as fast as his wings would carry him.

_Do you even know what you are running from?_

Cole's eyes narrowed. "The past."

_The past that you are forcing yourself to think about. The past you could just... let go._

Cole paused in mid-flight and let out a deep breath. "I can't let it go. It is my own burden," he muttered as he looked down onto the outskirts of town.

_Maybe you don't have to bear the burden alone?_ Aeris's voice spoke to him as her recognized a building and a light in a familiar window.


	84. Canto 10 : The Gift : Verse 6 : Absoluti...

_**The Song of Eternity**_

_**Canto 10 : The Gift**_

_**Verse 6: Absolution**_

_**A night when chaos swirled,**_

_**A night when choices were made,**_

_**And truths were spoken.**_

_**How great are the gifts they were given?**_

Damon let himself into the office at 8 the next morning. He grunted as he shook the snow off his coat. The icy rainstorm from last night had changed to snow in the early morning. That combining with an ex-demon who had never been a morning person led to Damon's particularly foul mood. He squinted his eyes as he opened the blinds and the glare from the fresh inch of snow assaulted his eyes. He immediately moved to the coffee machine and started it up, waiting for the precious caffeine to start his morning.

He turned on the morning news as he waited and looked for any signs of Cole or anyone else doing anything stupid after the dance last night. After ten minutes without mention of mutants or a teen with wings destroying things he muted the TV and poured himself some coffee. "I'm getting to old for this shit," he muttered as he sipped the hot drink.

He opened up the morning newspaper and relaxed as he started to read. After a minute he heard the door open and listened as someone walked in. "You're late Valentine," he said as he recognized the familiar footsteps. "Wait a minute...," he muttered as he put down his paper and looked over Vincent as he hung his coat. "What did..," he stopped as Elena walked in the door during his sentence.

Vincent poured himself a cup of coffee and took his seat as well, raising an eyebrow at Damon. "You got something to get off your mind Damon?" he asked Damon who had no said a word, just kept looking over Vincent and Elena.

"I might ask you two the same question. What happened last night?" Damon asked as he studied the two of them.

"We went and got drunk after the dance and Vincent crashed on my couch," Elena said immediately.

"Bullshit. You're a bad lair Elena. You two fucked didn't you?" Damon asked as Elena jumped in surprise and dropped the pot of coffee, making a mess of glass and coffee on the floor.

Damon stifled a laugh as the woman looked to Vincent and then to Damon. "I'm going to go get the mop from the back," she said quickly as she rushed to the back of the office to the supply closet.

"So?" Damon said quietly as he leaned closer to Vincent.

"...None of your business," Vincent replied.

"So am I gonna need to have this place sanitized after my days off from now on?" Damon joked as Elena walked back by him with the mop and broom, promptly causing her to drop them again.

Logan sniffed the air as he walked to the kitchen, surprised to see any kids up this early. He was even more surprised when he saw Rogue, the notorious late riser, especially on the weekends. "What are you doing up so early?" he asked as he walked to the refrigerator.

"Um...making breakfast?" she said nervously as she crossed her fingers and kept cooking.

Logan poured himself a glass of orange juice and leaned on the table behind Rogue. "So, you making breakfast for 2 out of the goodness of your heart for me, or are you expecting someone?" he asked her as she stiffened up.

"Um...well," she stammered as she tried to think of something to say.

Logan sniffed again, catching a familiar scent in the mansion. "What the hell?" he muttered.

"Ah, Logan, there you are," he was interrupted as Xavier wheeled into the kitchen. "I think we need to have a word in my study." Xavier said as he looked at Logan.

"I think we have something else to take care of first Chuck," Logan frowned as he looked around for the intruder.

"I am well aware of the situation here Logan, please come with me so I can explain it," Xavier told him as he waited at the kitchen's exit.

"This better be a doozy Chuck," Logan grumbled.

Rogue was relieved when Xavier got there and took Logan out of the kitchen. "They're gone now," she said once Logan was out of the room. The cupboard under the sink opened immediately as Cole unceremoniously crawled out. "You okay?" she asked as she helped him up.

"Yeah, besides the runny nose, headache, and fever, I'm peachy," he replied. He brushed the cobwebs off the shirt and jeans he had 'borrowed' from the laundry room. He poured himself a glass of orange juice and let out a heavy breath as he sat down at the kitchen table.

"You like your eggs scrambled, right?" she asked as she hummed to herself as she cooked.

"Yeah," he replied as he stared at his orange juice. He stayed silent, his gaze shifting from his drink to Rogue as she cooked until she finally came over with the finished breakfast. "Looks good," he said as she set a plate in front of him.

"What's on your mind?" she asked as she sat down beside him and started to eat.

He put his silverware down and looked to her face. "Are you sure about...all of this?"

"That's your problem, you always were too nice," she laughed as she put her own silverware down. "If I wasn't, we wouldn't be here together right now," she told him as she held his hand. "Now eat your food, we're gonna have to get you some vitamin shots from McCoy to counteract your stupidity from last night."

"This better be good Chuck," Logan said as he closed the door behind the two of them. "You know they aren't allowed to have guests unannounced, and god only knows when he got here and what they did before now," Logan said before he even acknowledged Magneto as being in the room too.

"They did nothing last night Logan, in case you were wondering," Magneto replied. "Shortly after he arrived we spoke with the two of them. He spent the night on the couch by the fireplace," Magneto told him.

"What the hell makes him so special that we are letting him break all our rules?" Logan swore.

"Them Logan, what makes them so special is the question you must ask yourself," Xavier posed the question.

_Rogue went straight to her room and locked the door after returning from the dance. No one could get her to open up, so they left her alone. She changed into some pajama pants and a long-sleeved T-shirt to get ready to sleep when she noticed it had started to rain. She opened her window and let the cold air wash over her as she looked out in to the night. "I know you're out there somewhere," she whispered to herself as she nodded off to sleep._

_She awoke some time later when she felt the presence of someone putting a blanket on her. She opened her eyes to see the saddened look of Cole._

_"You looked cold," he said as he stepped back and closed his eyes and began to pull his wings back into himself._

_"Why are you here?" she asked him as she got up out of her chair and closed the window._

_"You said you know the truth about us, and yet you do not run. You aren't freaked out by this in the least bit?" he asked as she walked closer to him and gave him a hug._

_"Not really. I'm still Rogue, and you are still Cole. We just have a little more to us than that now," she said as she felt how cold he was. "You were flying out there in the rain? For how long?"_

_"Hours...I don't really know," he admitted._

_"You are a very stubborn man," she frowned as she wrapped him in the blanket he had originally put on her and made him sit down on her bed. Once he was seated there was a knock on the door._

_"Rogue, this is Charles and Erik, may we come in and have a word with you two?" Xavier's voice came through the door._

_"Come in," she sighed as she unlocked the door and let Xavier and Magneto in. "This may look a bit strange, but we have a perfectly good explanation," she told them. _

_"They know most of it already, just tell them all of it," Cole told her as he tried to warm up and stop his teeth from chattering._

_"What do you already know?" she asked them inquisitively. _

_"I assume this has to do with that Cole is, or once was Travis Starmore. Besides that, you will need to tell us," Xavier explained. "I found out about Cole during one of our sessions, and Erik discovered the same thing when going over Cole's files during my 'death'."_

_"Well...do you believe in reincarnation of some sort?" she asked the two of them._

_"It is called the lifestream, it recycles souls more or less. Most people are never aware of any past memories or lives," Cole said._

_"Quiet, save your strength," Rogue ordered as she shook her head. "Like he said, most people have no idea of what they were in previous lives. Maybe 1 in a million ever gets a bit of their past life breaking through, and most of the time it comes through in dreams. People forget or ignore them most of the time. I started having dreams after the first show that Cole, Vincent, and the others played at," she admitted._

_"So who were you?" Xavier asked._

_"Fiona Starmore," she whispered._

_After a little silence Cole started to speak. "I first realized who she was when I defeated Galactus and died. I assumed up until tonight that she had no idea about her previous life. I never did anything about it before now because...things have changed. Up until I was taken after the battle with Apocalypse, I WAS Starmore, at least part of me was. The Starmore persona never really became dissociated from the rest of me until the time Fiona died in my original life and I was forced to leave our world to stop the Alpha WEAPON. But after I got back from the battles Order and Chaos forced me to fight, I was different. The Starmore persona...the memories were still there, but all the feelings of guilt and hatred, the death and destruction...the feelings of when I was Starmore are gone."_

_"I was back to what I was before my arm was originally taken. And let me tell you, I was a good man back then," he continued. "But I still had the feelings for her, so I buried them until tonight," he nodded at Rogue._

_"I tried to get close to him once I figured out what was going on too," Rogue told them. "But he'd always push me away or ignore me. So I told him tonight that I knew who he was, and who I was. Then he ran out of the hotel and has been flying around in the freezing rain ever since," she frowned._

_"I left you alone because of the situation. I am the only person you can really touch for one. And besides that, I did not want to force whatever feelings I had on you," Cole replied as he looked down at the ground._

_"Well then...Seeing how we have extenuating circumstances," Xavier began._

_"You are both still technically minors until," Magneto looked at them both._

_"February," Cole replied._

_"New Year's," Rogue admitted._

_"Fine. Despite what your memories may tell you, you are still minors then. Which means you will act as minors in your relationship until you turn 18," Xavier told them. "After that, there is nothing we can do to stop you."_

_"Besides making him sleep on the couch out by the fireplace since Rogue will still be living here," Magneto told them. "Speaking of which, I am going to start the fire and fetch some blankets. You should be more careful out there, you might catch pneumonia," he scoffed at Cole._

_"So, you aren't going to try to stop us from seeing each other?" Rogue asked._

_"No, I doubt we even could, given how resourceful you two can be. Besides, if this isn't fate, I don't know what is."_

Cole and Rogue walked together through the snow to Vincent's office after a short stop at Cole's for some warmer clothes. They walked through the front door holding hands to the surprise of the others gathered inside. Damon and Murphy were joking while watching TV and Vincent and Elena were sitting next to each other working on something on the computer.

"What the hell?! Am I the only one who slept alone in their own bed last night?" he swore and ducked as Elena chucked another book at him.

"I slept on the couch," Cole explained as Rogue blushed. "Who else slept... Vincent, is that your tux from last night?" Cole asked.

"Shit! Dive for cover!" Murphy cried while he and Damon dropped to the ground behind Damon's desk as Elena started throwing everything she could get her hands on their way.

"For the last time, yes, we spent the night together, now give it a rest!" she yelled at the four of them.

From their hiding spot behind the desk Cole talked to his brother. "What ticked her off?"

"Well, I can't say for sure, but me and Damon have been commenting on the situation for the past 4 hours now," he laughed as the pile of books, staplers, and office supplies around Damon's desk continued to grow. "She didn't get really mad until an hour ago," he smiled.

"Cole, Rogue, come over here and have a word with me," Vincent said as Cole and Rogue walked past a red faced Elena who was eyeing the hushed voices still behind the desk murderously. "So, what has happened?"

"She apparently knew who she was a few days after our first show. We told Xavier and Magneto, and we are going to try to work it out," Cole told him.

"Very well," Vincent replied as he looked past them to where Elena was starting to pull out her gun. "Elena, please don't shoot them, they have a purpose around here and I don't want to have to clean up blood stains in my office."

"Shit, she's got a gun! Run for it!" Murphy shouted as he and Damon ran for the door and out of the office.

"That is a unique was of getting out of work for the day," Rogue mused as Elena chased them out of the building.

"Come back here! I'm not done with you two yet!"


	85. Canto 10 : The Gift : Verse 7 : Almost

_**The Song of Eternity**_

_**Canto 10 : The Gift**_

_**Verse 7: Almost**_

_**All things pass in time,**_

_**Especially happiness.**_

_**But hatred and vengeance,**_

_**They are eternal.**_

Winter was in full swing in Bayville. A full foot of snow on the ground was the constant for the New England town for December so far. The last couple inches from last were busily being shoveled from a driveway in a normal looking part of town. Murphy smiled as he looked at his breath in the cold air while he worked. _Ah, the simple pleasures_, he thought to himself. After the driveway and sidewalk were cleared he walked back into the warm house, being staggered by the first blast of hot air.

He shook the snow off his clothes and stretched out his muscles as he walked into the kitchen for some breakfast. "What's cooking?" he asked as he draped his arms over the two women cooking breakfast.

"None of your business," Elena said as she smacked his hand.

"So harsh," Murphy replied as if hurt.

"Give it a rest Murphy, go bug Cole or Vincent," Rogue told him as he left them to cook.

He walked into the living room and plopped himself down on the couch beside his twin and Vincent. "Sheesh, don't know how you guys put up with it," he shook his head as he joined them with watching the television. "Never thought I'd see the day that you two got whipped," he laughed before 2 death glares shut him up. "Lighten up you two, it is Christmas after all," he added as he sighed and laughed at the tree in the corner.

The five of them ate breakfast, not talking much as was normal for this group. Murphy used the time to reflect on the past month. Following the dance, things had changed for the better in Bayville. The tensions between the humans and the mutants were very calm, the Turks barely spent any time at Xavier's providing guard duty anymore. Well, most of the Turks. Damon had taken a shine to Ororo following the dance. Their relationship was progressing slowly, but progressing.

And on the other end of the spectrum, were Vincent and Elena. Shortly after the dance they had moved all of Elena's things into the house and she had been sharing a room with Vincent for about 3 weeks now. Rogue and Cole were inseparable, except at night when she had to go home by Xavier's decree. She had come over this morning to spend Christmas with them.

Murphy laughed to himself as he finished breakfast and they all went to open their presents.

Later that evening they had all gathered at the mansion for an evening together. Murphy had excused himself to go outside, he needed a cigarette. After he lit up and exhaled a big puff of smoke he leaned up against the wall at peace.

"Those things will kill you kid," Logan laughed as he too exited the mansion and lit up a cigar.

"Yeah well, I think I can handle it," Murphy laughed.

"Yeah, you probably can," Logan agreed as they both looked up to the clear night sky, enjoying their respective cancer sticks. "So, I know who Cole is, but who the hell are you?" he asked after a minute of silence.

"His brother, just here to make sure he gets his life on track," Murphy laughed as he tossed his cigarette into the snow. "What the hell?" he muttered as the butt stopped before contacting the snow and he realized he could not move either.

In another part of the mansion, Cole and Rogue were enjoying some fun and games hanging out with the other kids. He sighed and sunk down into a comfortable chair by the fireplace. Cole stared into the fire, reveling in the warmth until Rogue came over and took a seat on his lap.

"What're you thinking about?" she asked him.

"Nothing," he replied as he looked at her face.

"That's nice," she replied as she got comfortable and rested her head on his chest. "Don't think too hard," she laughed as she looked into the fire.

Some time passed as Cole smiled and looked down at his girlfriend. "Cole," Rogue murmured.

"Yes?"

"Something is wrong with the fire," she said as they both looked into the fire that had completely stopped moving as if frozen in time.

"Shit," Cole swore as he found he could not move either.

"Interesting year, isn't it?" Vincent asked Elena as they stood out on the front porch together to get some fresh air.

"That's putting it lightly," she said as she felt Vincent's arms wrap around her. "It all worked out for the best though," she smiled as she felt Vincent turn her around.

"You know Elena, ever since I had my Jenova and Mako removed and we started seeing each other, things have been special. They have just seemed right," he said as he looked into her eyes. "What I'm really trying to say is," he stopped as he dropped to one knee. "Elena Marshall, will you marry me?"

"Yes, Vincent, I will," she said happily. "Aren't you going to put the ring on me?" she said as she looked at the small box in his hand.

"Oh, nothing more that I would love," Vincent muttered. "But I seem to be unable to move," he added before a bright white light enveloped them and the entire mansion, knocking them out.

Murphy awoke to murmuring voices. "Sonofa....interrupting my smoking...giving me a headache...," he swore as he struggled to his feet and opened his eyes. He was in a plain white cell and could hear voices on the other side of his door. "Open the hell up!" he shouted as he beat on the door.

A small panel slid open and a pair of eyes looked in on him. "What do you want?" the guard asked him.

"Where the hell am I? What is going on?" he demanded to know as he tried to see behind the guard.

"You are in orbit above your planet, you are here to witness the trial of the two greatest murderers that our world has ever seen," the guard told him before closing the panel.

"What the hell are you talking about!?" Murphy shouted as he continued to beat on the door. "Screw it," he sighed as he gave up and slid to the floor. "Wish I knew what was going on here," he muttered as he waited until his door opened an hour later and he was ushered out.

Everyone who was at the mansion was ushered through the hallways of the ship at gunpoint until they were all in a large stadium-like area. "What is going on here?" Xavier asked once they were all assembled.

"Silence," one of the guards threatened.

A minute later a man in a white robe came out to a raised pedestal in front of the captives. "Welcome to our ship the Vengeance," he greeted them. "I am Talik. We apologize for the way we abducted you, but it was necessary to ensure everyone's safety."

"What do you mean?" Xavier asked him.

"A long time ago, our people lived on this world. But we were forced to leave when our own extinction stared us in the face. Since then we learned to negate the powers of the Lifestream, even in it's current evolution into your homo sapien-superior race," he explained to them.

"You negated our powers and abducted us for our own safety?" Xavier asked angrily.

"If only it were that simple," the man continued. "We left this world when death stared us in the face, vowing to return and right the wrongs someday. And that day has prevented itself now. Vincent Valentine, for crimes against the Planet, you are sentenced to death."

"...what crimes are these?" Vincent asked as he stared back at the man.

"Aiding in the attempted extermination of life on this planet," the man stated.

"What? Vincent has saved this planet more times than I can count," Elena shouted at the man.

"You may prepare your defense for tomorrow, for what little good it will do," the man told Vincent. "The same goes for your dark master, the one who made your demons appears as angels," the man continued as he stared into the group. "Travis Starmore, you will be executed for crimes too horrible to speak."

Most of the group looked around, wondering what the man was thinking. "Umm...Starmore died back in May," Lance pointed out to the man.

"Is that what you all think?" he asked them smugly.

"No, I am not dead," Cole replied as Rogue burst into tears.


	86. Canto 10 : The Gift : Verse 8 : Trial

_**The Song of Eternity**_

_**Canto 10 : The Gift**_

_**Verse 8: Trial**_

_**When you look at the end of the world**_

_**You gain a new perspective.**_

_**A perspective of surrender**_

_**And not being able to hide anymore.**_

_**You give up.**_

_**But those you love do not give up on you.**_

"Open this goddamn door," Murphy shouted as he pounded at his cell. After Talik broke the news to everyone who didn't already know about Cole being Travis Starmore they had all been taken back to their cells. The guards brought him food, but besides that he had no idea what was going on outside. He looked all over his small cell, but there was no way out. He and the others were trapped until their captors decided what to do with them.

Only one of the captives had any visitors at all. After they were taken back, Talik came to Xavier's cell and spoke with him. "You people do not need to stay here, we will send you back to the planet tomorrow then leave when we have executed the criminals," he told Xavier.

"That is unacceptable, those two men are our friends and family and do not deserve this, they had reasons for what they did," Xavier said angrily. "And you are going to execute them without hearing their side of the story."

"Those men killed millions," Talik replied coldly. "You may stay and act in their defense if you wish, but do not try our patience or you will die like them. You have 2 days until you may make your case," Talik told him before leaving the cell.

Two days later, the captives were all brought back to the large stadium area, but things had changed for the worse. Talik waited at the raised pedestal with Vincent and Cole each trapped in what looked like force-field holding cells to his right. The mutants were ushered to some chairs that looked to have been hastily brought in as if not planned for. The rest of the stadium area was filled with people, thousands of them. Lastly several of what looked like flying news cameras darted around documenting the entire thing.

Everything was silent as Talik spoke. "Greetings everyone, we finally have these two murderers in our grasp, but their companions, the descendants of the very same people they slaughtered have demanded a fair trial, seeing both sides of the story," he continued as the crowd erupted in anger. When the quieted down, he continued. "They shall have their wish, we are a just people. We are not like these monsters," he finished as he pointed at Vincent and Cole.

Another man, dressed in a black robe came forward. "These men are charged with the attempted annihilation of all life on the planet below us," he began. "Ages ago, they took it upon themselves to purge this planet of most of it's sentient life. The only survivors were our ancestors and the ancestors of the current inhabitants of the planet. Remove the force-field and see what they have to say," he finished. "What do you two have to say for yourselves? Did you try to kill everyone on the planet?"

As the force-field came down neither of them said a word.

"Won't even speak up to save your own lives? I hear you have an explanation for what happened. What kind of an explanation could you have for trying to kill off this planet?" he shouted at them.

Vincent looked over at Elena whose jaw was set and looked like she was about to jump up and try to fight her way out. He shook his head at her. "Jenova," he said as he looked up at his questioner. The crowd grew deafening for a moment, then grew quiet.

"Explain yourself Vincent Valentine," the man ordered him.

"Jenova, an alien life form-" he stopped as he was cut off.

"We are quite aware of what Jenova was and of the circumstances surrounding her defeats. Once to the ancient Cetra, and once to the AVALANCHE group. What could that have to do with you killing off most of the planet?" he demanded.

Vincent stared at the man coldly. "Answer me this," he directed at the man. "Who am I? And how old do you think I am?" Vincent questioned the man.

"You are Vincent Valentine, a man who commands the Chaos demon from within his own body. It has kept you alive for half a million years," the man told him.

Vincent glanced at Damon who shook his head slightly. "What do you know of AVALANCHE? You people truly know nothing. I was with AVALANCHE when we killed Jenova. I was with them when we stopped the second coming of WEAPON and Sephiroth and destroyed Garland. The people we killed were being controlled by Jenova and Garland," Vincent shouted before the force-field went back up over him.

"We do not take kindly to people lying about AVALANCHE Valentine," Talik told him. "They saved this world long before you came to destroy it," he said as he slowly lowered the force-field again. He reached his hand up as Vincent threw something at him once the field was down. "What is this...?" he asked as he examined what looked to be a picture.

"A picture of all of AVALANCHE, one of the only things tying me to them," Vincent explained. "I did not revel in the glory of their victory over Sephiroth and become famous. I went back to sleep with my demons," Vincent told him.

"That would make you about a million years old Valentine," Talik told him as examined the photo. "Suppose this picture is real, suppose you are who you say you are. Why then did you help him destroy this world?"

"He already told you," Cole replied angrily. "Garland had merged with Jenova and infected most of the populous after we initially defeated him," Cole said as he stared at the questioner.

"Who is this Garland you speak of? We have never heard of him?"

"Long story. He killed my wife then created a nanotechnology virus that he sent to other dimensions. I have hunted him down for the last million years, killing all 3 of his incarnations here," Cole told the man.

"Three?"

"Sephiroth and the weapons first. Most of the planet half a million years later. And Galactus not too long ago," Cole explained. "I assume that is how you found me, by the energy is used to destroy Galactus?"

"Yes, do you have anything besides your words to back up what you two say?" the man asked them. They shook their heads. "This new information changes nothing, for trying to kill the Planet, you are sentenced to death," Talik said as he put the force-fields back up.

"Hold on now," Logan growled as he got out of his chair and popped his claws out.

"Right with you on this one runt," Sabertooth growled before they found themselves unable to move.

"You people are here as a courtesy. We have prepared for this day, your powers will not work here and we are too technologically advanced for you to be a threat. Do not make yourselves a threat," Talik told them.

"Who are you, that you think you have the right to pass judgement on them? You were not there, they were," Xavier demanded.

"We were there," Talik told him. "Years after the defeat of Sephiroth, we were born again and learned of our role to protect the planet."

"Cetra..." Damon growled as parts of him began to shift into Chaos. "Your kind did this to me," he roared as he fought through the technology that was restraining the others' force. "We did what we had to do, just as your kind did to me, making me this monster," Damon growled as another force-field popped up and trapped him.

"I do not know what trickery this is, or how you got free of Vincent. You were part of this too Chaos-beast. You shall die with them," Talik said as he recovered from the shock.

"If I may interrupt this, we can clear this unfortunate situation up quite easily, if you really are the Cetra," Murphy said as he got up and walked towards Talik easily. "I'm guessing you used your knowledge of the Lifestream which is part of all of their," he pointed at the mutants,"powers, to keep them powerless and immobile." "I guess it works for Elena, Vince, and Cole too because they are born of this world as well," Murphy said as he waved his hand and dissipated a force-field that appeared around him.

"Now I realize you are angry and have been so for quite some time now, but by turning this ship into a power/Lifestream blocker, you cannot communicate with the Planet, can you?" he asked Talik.

"Communicating with the Planet is pointless, the Lifestream and the consciousness of our ancestors is no longer there," Talik said plainly.

"Mostly. There is one Cetra left though, the last true Cetra from before your kind was created and became Cetra. Now turn off the power to your machines blocking you from the Planet, and she will sort this out," Murphy told him.

"If we do that, they will all try to escape," Talik motioned at the others frozen in place.

"No they won't, now do it before I have to start destroying things around here until I find it," Murphy ordered as he created a ball of magic in his hand.

Talik pushed a button and there was a whirring sound as the force-fields dropped and everyone could move again. "Well, where is this Cetra?" Talik asked. Murphy just smirked and went to go check on Cole who already had Rogue at his side. Talik looked over to Vincent who was talking to Elena quietly. "Where is the Cetra?" he demanded again loudly.

He quieted and looked in amazement as a green glow appeared in front of him and transformed to look like a beautiful woman in a pink dress. "Aeris Gainsborough?" he asked in wonder.

"Yes, I had wondered when you new Cetra the Planet and I made would come back," she smiled as she waved at Vincent, who nodded back.

"These men killed most of the life on the Planet," he motioned at Vincent and Cole.

"Life that was controlled by evil forces. The Planet and I were too weak to tell you at the time due to Jenova and Garland's power over the people and you had fled the Planet in fear before it could recover to tell you," she explained. "These are all good people, who have saved this world more times than I care to count, despite all that life has thrown at them. Even Damon there," she added as she looked at Damon who was being talked to and partially restrained by most of the X-Men. "Our kind wronged him in a most horrible way."

"We...regretfully apologize for this situation," Talik bowed at Aeris and the others. "What of him?" he asked as he looked at Murphy who was walking over giving Cole and Rogue a hug. "What are you?" he asked Murphy.

"I'm his brother," he pointed at Cole. "Only problem is we were never really from this world and I wasn't even on this world until I was brought back to help him and Vincent get their lives on track," Murphy explained.

Murphy looked over to where Elena was clinging to Vincent with tears in here eyes and Cole and Rogue were locked in a kiss. "I think I did a good enough job," he laughed.

"You are not alive..." Talik realized as the power of the Planet allowed him to see Murphy as he really was.

"Nope, just was given a little bit of the Planet's power to make this body and get things on track," Murphy admitted. "Now if you don't mind, I have a wife waiting back for me on the other side. Take care of the Aeris," he smiled as he vanished from sight and was gone.

"I think they can take care of themselves now," she smiled.

_Fin_


	87. finished! Author's notefuture projects

FINISHED!

Never thought I'd be able to say that, but now I can. I have finished the monstrosity that would not die. A story spanning a million years and more twists and turns and characters than I care to count. A story that was originally planned to be a FF9 Trilogy love story between Eiko and Vivi(which I did pull off without breaking and laws).

Now what does the future hold for everyone? Am I done writing here? What is the meaning of life?

I have some ideas, no, and for people to make me food.

I will be putting up more stories here in the FF7 section as sequels to this, but they will mostly be short stories. First story on the drawing board though is a prequel to FF7 itself.

Ever wonder how Damon became Chaos?

Keep an eye out in the coming weeks for _Interview with a Demon_. (or something along those lines)

Runningdemon/BouncingSoul signing off!


End file.
